I'm staring to notice a theme with Paul's writing thus far. Paul is an apostle by the will of God. The saints in Ephesus are faithful in Christ Jesus. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has blessed us in Christ. And now in verse 4, we have been chosen in him. Verse 5 is full of phrases such as these, but I'll save those reflections for tomorrow.
At every turn, Paul reminds the reader that Christ Jesus is the source of our salvation, our faith, our vocation. It reminds me of the road to Penn State (322 West). Once you make the turn from Harrisburg, there is a sign every 6 miles posting the distance to State College (the "city" in which Penn State is situated). My friend, Geoff, used to joke that PENDOT must think Penn State students particularly dense, or at least easily distractible, to necessitate that frequency of signage.
Maybe Paul doesn't think the Ephesians are dense, but he certainly understands the distractibility of human nature. Maybe keeping this Christ-centeredness is what being "faithful in Christ Jesus" is all about. "In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28)."
Language is a powerful way to remind ourselves of this reality. Did Paul speak the way he writes? I wonder if there's a way to do this without sounding trite or like I think the world revolves around me and my God. Like people who praise God for giving them a green light. Does that mean God was cursing the other person with the red light? The universe just seems a bit more complex than that. And God's blessings are certainly more complex. As I mentioned yesterday, maybe the red light is actually the blessing.
I've noticed another theme as I've been reading; I am not coming to many conclusions so far in this journey. I think that is okay though. My training as a counselor has allowed me to be more comfortable with the process even if the content is not illuminating. The process has made more prayerful in my daily life, which is an enormous blessing.
by the will of God,
Jonathan
2 comments:
You're doing almost a lectio divina with each verse which is awesome. The last phase in lectio divina is contemplation, simply dwelling on and in the presence of God. So I'm glad you're not frustrated by the lack of conclusions regarding the scripture. Scripture is the means to the end, which is to be in communion with the person of God.
I do love me some lectio. I hope to have some time on the weekends to do more substantial reflections on the verses. As it is, these verse help me maintain a minium of prayer and reflection in my daily life.
Thanks for reading, Phil.
God bless
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