Splendidly

"He sets his people free, he made his covenant everlasting," Psalm 111:9.

Praise You, Jehovah God! In the meeting of your people, we give you thanks with our whole hearts. You do great things! The people who love your deeds meditate on them. You do splendidly. You do majestic actions. Your goodness endures to infinity and beyond! We remember your wonders. Your kindness and mercy press in our minds. You provide for all who respect you. You always remember your covenant. Your faithfulness and justice abide. Your loyalty endures for ever! We discovered that respect for you gives us wisdom: Your holy name is awesome! Praise you Lord!

We gather with brothers and sisters today and revel in God's faithfulness. And, exulting together in his wisdom, we give eternal thanksgivings.

Ascended

"What does it mean when it says, He went up?" Ephesians 4:9.

Wait a minute! Who went up? Where is up, anyway? Christ went up, into the skies. In fact, up above the skies. When was that? When God raised him up from way down below where dead people rot. God raised Jesus up from down low to the highest, where He Himself is. So, when the writing says, Christ went up, it means that he had first gone down, dead, into the grave. Then, God raised Christ up above the pillars of creation, beyond the skies. Why? because. To make Jesus the fullness, the fulfillment of absolutely every promise God had ever made. Yeah.

We visit with a brother or sister today overjoyed that Christ has ascended completely over the universe. And, together, we give overwhelming thanks to God.

Collection

"He led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men," Ephesians 4:8.

Who did this? Christ did. Christ collected all opposing forces into their own captivity and paraded them boldly to the very heights. And, Christ gave gifts to people. The human custom of a victor receiving the spoils of war gets turned upside down with Jesus. He gives, rather than receives. He gives gifts. To whom? To people. To what people? To another collection. (That is, not to the captured opposers, right?) So, what other collection? The collection, the congregation of people comprising the one body. Namely, those people who confess Christ as Lord. Christ, triumphant, gave us gifts.

When we get insights or encouragements from a brother or sister today we receive the gifts Christ has given us. And, growing up together in the love of Christ, we give him thanks.

Prepositions

"One God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all," Ephesians 4:6.

Of. Over. Through. In. These prepositions express the intimate relationship God has with people. All people. Not that every person recognizes this, of course. And a vast majority of us wander the earth lost, oblivious. Our perceptions, nonetheless, do not change Creator. Creator of all. Creator over all. Creator through all. Creator in all. God has no bastard children. For the love of Christ, he's calling all of us home.

We sit with a brother or sister today where God has landed us. And there, together with Christ beside, we give marvelled thanks at home with our God and Father.

Inherently

"There is one body and one Spirit," Ephesians 4:4.

And one hope. And one Lord. One faith. One baptism. One God. One. One. One. One. One. One. One. Who created this body? Who created this collect of all peoples? That is, Who made this congregation? God. God did, the Father. Of all. Who is. Over all. Through all. In all. And. And He created the church inherently one. The congregation did not create itself. Nor its own unity. God declared the church of Christ one. Every man, every woman throughout the world, throughout time, who has come to the faith of Christ obedient to God's call is become one with all the rest.

We visit with any brother or sister today recognizing each other parts of the body of Christ. And, together, we give thanks to God for making us all friends again in Christ.

Before

"Therefore," Ephesians 4:1.

Therefore? Thus? Consequently? Consequently what? Hmm. Well. Before Therefore. The word, Therefore, refers to something before it. So. What came before Therefore? This: We have been saved by grace through faith and God's power works within us. Ah! Now, Therefore. Therefore, that is, in light of God's previous saving action, this now: Walk worthy. We walk worthily of God's call to us. We live out our lives in a way that fits his invitation. What's it look like? Like ... Humility. Gentleness. Patience. Tolerance. Love. Unity. Peace. Therefore, because God has already saved us, walk like that.

We walk beside a brother or sister today forgiving each other in the love for Christ. And, together, we speak thanksgivings and praises to the One who worked completely for our life.

Kindnesses

"My whole being, praise Jehovah! All my being, praise his holy name!" Psalm 103:1.

My soul: Don't forget! Don't forget the Lord's kindness. His many kindnesses. The Lord forgives all our sins. The Lord heals our diseases. The Lord saves us from the grave. He floods us with his love. With his mercy. The Lord satisfies us with good stuff. He refreshes us, we soar as eagles. O soul! Don't forget! Remember! Remember the Lord does what is right. He does what is fair. He has not punished us equal to our sin. His mercies and kindnesses abound.

Meeting with a brother or sister today we praise our God in Jesus's forgiveness. And, together, we say: Praise you, God, all blessings flow from you!

Ages

"To him be glory in the congregation and in Christ Jesus into all generations of the age of ages. Amen." Ephesians 3:21.

To Whom? To the Able One. To the Can Do One. To the One able to do far more excessively than all we ask. Yeah. More abundantly. More overflowing than all we can even think. To Him. OK. So. Who's that? God! Father of every earth family and unearthly family. To the one and only God able to raise mortals to immortality. To Him be glory! The shining! The brightness! The splendor! Where? in the congregation of his people. All peoples in Christ. For how long? Into all future generations. Of what time? Of the Age of ages. Of timeless infinity.

By grace we meet today with a brother or sister, parts of God's family. And, together, we step thankfully into the eternal abundance of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Named

"Every family in the skies and on earth is named from the Father," Ephesians 3:15.

So. What's this talking about? That God names our last names? Surnames like Jones or Yu or Sanchez or Ndlovu or Singh or whatever? Well, not that God couldn't do it obviously, but, No, that's not what it's talking about. God, Jehovah, YHWH, Allah, Creator, is Father of us all. All our clans and tribes, every one of us humans of earth and non-humans of the skies, have the One and same progenitor: our Father. God. That's what it's talking about. And. That he grants inner strength to us drawn from his glorious riches by his own Spirit. And. That he lodges Christ in our hearts. Through faith. Why? because our Father loves us.

We meet with a brother or sister so named as God's family. And, together, we bow our knees in thankfulness to Him who claims our name.

Confident

"We have boldness and access with confidence through his faith," Ephesians 3:12.

Boldness? Confidence? Access to what? Well, it's not really to what, but, Access to Whom? To God. Boldness to belong in God's presence. Belonging in that assembly seated beside! Confident access to the Creator's right hand. Along with that congregation! But how? From where this boldness and access? From here: Being in Christ. God's deepest wisdom realized his eternal purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord. When we come to the faith that belongs to Jesus, there, there!, is our confidence.

We meet with a brother or sister today confident of extraordinary placement in the presence of our God. And, together in the faith of Christ, we give thankful praise to our Father.

Wisdom

"Now God's manifold wisdom can be made known to the rulers and authorities in the skies, through the church," Ephesians 3:10.

Wait a minute - what is this thing that now allows God's wisdom (whatever that is!) to be made known? Here it is: Evangelizing. Gospelizing. Well, what's that? This: the preaching of the gospel. Proclamation of the Good News of Jesus raises up the church, by God's wisdom. This church is the assembly of people who heard the message of the Good News and who answered God's call to come to Jesus in faith. This body of believers in Jesus becomes God's mouthpiece to preach the gospel. The announcement shouts out God's formerly hidden plans all over the planet, even into the skies where all sorts of powers vie for rule. This synergistic relation is all the doing of God: uniting all things in earth and sky, even Jews and ethnics, in Jesus Christ as Lord, and as Savior.

We assemble with a brother or sister today answering God's invitation to life as the body of Christ. And, congregated, we proclaim Christ as God's Lamb, once dead, now alive ruling over all powers by God's decree.

Announcement

"I was made a minister of this gospel," Ephesians 3:8.

Says who? Says Paul. Well, says God, actually. God took Paul unceremoniously, gave him a good shake, turned him to a new path, and gave him a precarious job: Go Preach. Make the Good Announcement! What announcement? the gospel. Announcement: Jesus went around doing good, but people killed him, but God raised him up from the dead, and calls all to obey him. So why preach? so that the ethnics can come to know the bottomless depth of Christ's love. So that everyone could see the light of God's mystery. So that God's plan would now be told all over the place. God established this purpose from for ever ago and into for ever to come. But why did that need to be announced? because God planned his plan for grace on human preaching. Preaching the gospel of Christ. And preaching obedience to him. Yeah. That announcement.

Having heard the preaching, we meet with a brother or sister today in praise of God's grace. And, recipients together of grace through faith, we give deepest thanks for God's eternal purpose in Christ's reconciliation.

Draining

"In the beginning you made the earth, and your hands made the skies," Psalm 102:25.

And they will be destroyed. They will wear away just like old clothes do. And it is you, O God, You!, who will change them out and throw them away as old rags.

But you, O Lord, you yourself will remain. You never change. Your life will never end. So we place our trust fully in you, O God. Not in the things of this world. So our children will live in your presence. Their children will remain with you. People who are not yet born will praise you, dear Father! From your high, holy place you looked down on our misery. You heard our prayers. And you did not reject us. You set us free. Praise you!

We join in with a brother or sister today to encourage life in God's liberation. And, together, we give thanks to him who bears us through this draining world into his own eternal presence.

Everybody

"The mystery is that the ethnics are fellow heirs," Ephesians 3:6.

The ethnics. Who's that? The New Testament presents two distinct peoples: on the one hand, the Jews, on the other hand, everybody else. Everybody else is the ethnics, the Gentiles. If you're not Jewish, you're ethnics. Now, God made all sorts of excellent promises to specific ancestors of the Jews. But God hid from all peoples that the ethnics would inherit the same promises, too. Gentiles are fellow heirs. They are parts of the same body as the Jewish heirs. How do we know this? God's new message: the gospel. Preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ unhides the mystery by inviting any and all to the faith of Christ. Jesus's messengers proclaim the promise of most excellent life for all who believe in the Good News. Jew and Gentile, alike. Mystery revealed.

Today we meet with a brother or sister in the joy of assured promises in Christ. And, together, we give thanks to God for including us all together in his for ever plans!

Pretensions

"The whole building grows into a holy temple in the Lord," Ephesians 2:21.

What building? Now. Get this. It's hard to get. So. The building is a metaphor, right? It's not a structure of real brick and mortar. (Oh! and wait - No, it's not a virtual structure like an online game that only exists as a program in the mind's world.) The structure is indeed made of real, material substances. Just not of actual stones. It houses spiritual realities (not virtual pretensions). Do we get this? The cornerstone is Jesus's real person, his life and work, the foundation is the real teachings of His real messengers and real prophets. The structure above the foundation is all those real people who, once, lived estranged, ungodly. But, now, who have placed their trust for life in Jesus's sacrifice. Who, now, God has lifted up integrated together with Christ. This assembly of redeemed real people united forms the very real temple among whom God dwells. Got it.

We get together with a brother or sister today as God's temple. And, so assembled, we give thanks to God for ever!

Household

"You have been brought near by the blood of Christ," Ephesians 2:13.

That is, by Jesus's sacrifice, right? The very real, material, flesh and blood body of that human being, the man, Jesus. Jesus has become our peace. That is, our peace offering. Peace with whom? With God. And with every other human. Jesus's sacrificial offering integrated us, divided men, into one new man. Jesus reconciled us, every divided peoples, ins and outs, both. Jesus's death killed our hostility. Jesus, by his body nailed to the cross, yielded for the many of us, in one Spirit, access to God. In one Spirit. Near to God? This near: God now dwells among us. In us, his own household. That near.

We welcome each other, brother or sister, today as God's dwelling place in the Spirit. And, together, we sacrifice the thanksgiving of our confession: Jesus is our peace.

Joiner

"Remember," Ephesians 2:11.

Who's to remember? You. You Gentiles. You ethnics. (All us who are not Jewish. All us not circumcised in the Law.) You!, uncircumcised persons, you! Remember what? You were separated from Christ. You were aliens. Foreigners. Godless. Hopeless. Hostile. Divided. In regard to what? In regard to God. To the commonwealth of God's people. To the covenants of God's promises. To hope. To God himself. But no longer! That was then, this is now! Now, you (you! even us!) are brought near. At peace. United. New. Reconciled. Citizens. Fellows. Integral. Established. Joined. God's very dwelling place. But, but how? What changed ... who changed us? Christ. The blood of Christ. Christ is himself our joiner.

We visit today with a brother or sister at peace with God and with each other through Jesus's sacrifice. And, together, we give grateful praise to God in Jesus's name.

Directives

"We are created in Christ Jesus for good works," Ephesians 2:10.

(Once again ... ) Who created us? God. We were walking dead in sin. But God saved us by his grace through our faith. God saved us not because of our works. God saved us not by our own doing. Grace through faith. So. God's gift. In Christ Jesus. To what end? For his good pleasure. Did God create us to laze around and be happy roly poly babies watching the world go by? Nope. Rather: God created us to grow up into his family business. And what's the Father's business? Doing good. (That's how we say, Thank You!) Yes. He's pre-planned our good works not to make us get saved but because he already saved us. Not to get forgiveness, but because we are forgiven. Not in order to be redeemed, but because we are redeemed. In, through, because of, on account of, by Christ.

We speak with a brother or sister today about God's good work for us in Christ. And, together, we yield our lives thankfully into God's directives.

Wings

"Those who go to God Most High for safety will be protected by God Most Powerful," Psalm 91:1.

And we do! O God: You are an awesome God! You are our place of safety. Our place of protection. We trust you. You save us from hidden traps. From deadly diseases. Your wings protect us like a bird over its young. Your truth is our armor and shield. We fear no night dangers. No arrows by day. No diseases in the dark. No daytime sicknesses. We call on you for deliverance. But. But even when your will calls for our suffering, we will yet trust your wisdom. And honor you. And in our age we still will say: You are good!

With a brother or sister today we meet under the wings of our father. And, together, we give thankful praise for life promised through his chosen son to us all, his children. Praise you, O God!

Creator

"We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus," Ephesians 2:10.

Who's the craftsman? God. And what did he craft? Us. (No, not us as creatures in the original creation way back in ancient times when -- well, yeah, of course, he did do that, but that's not what it's talking about here -- God created us alive in present times though we had degenerated into the walking dead.) God regenerated us now in Christ. God's the Creator, the Worker, the Craftsman, the Doer. And he did a work making us alive in Christ. Cool! So what happens next? We now do the good works which God already prepped for us to do. No more walking dead: Rather, walking good-doers.

We walk with a brother or sister today mutually encouraging toward the good path through an evil and broken generation. And, together, we bless the Lord for his work in Christ creating our regeneration.

Execution

"This is not your own doing, not a result of works," Ephesians 2:8, 9.

Right. It's not from our own exertion or from our own execution. Wait a minute ... what's not from our own production? Getting saved. Our own discipline, our own performance did not get us saved. No. It's God's gift. What's God's gift? Salvation. Life! is God's gift. A gift! A present from God. Received through faith. Through trust in God that God worked in Christ Jesus. When? when His power raised Jesus up from the dead and brought him to reign right there beside Himself. Trusting that that action flowed over into forgiveness and redemption of sinner men and sinner women. Gift of God.

We meet up with a brother or sister today recipients of the measureless gift of life forever in goodness. And together, we give thanks to God and serve him with gladness on into the eternity yet to come.

Enriched

"You have been saved by grace through faith," Ephesians 2:8.

Saved? Saved from what? (Well - for crying out loud! Open eyes! Look around! Get woke! It's all broke! Saved from the mess we're all in! From disintegration. Rot. Broken friendships. Broken selves. Broken climate. Broken hearts. Broken humanity. Broken bodies. Broken minds. Broken society. Broken kids. Broken parents. Broken culture. Broken nirvana. Broken paradise. Broken earth and broken sky.) Saved from the rage/wrath/anger that surrounds us all. Saved from lies and deceit. Saved from death's final word. Saved from the grave. As a gift from God. For people who trust God. A new life. A new earth and sky. Reintegrated. Made whole. Together. With Christ. As a gift. His present for his kids.

We visit today with a brother or sister in faith. In faith we praise God through Christ for his promise of immeasurably enriched life.

Bowling

"God made us alive together with Christ," Ephesians 2:5.

God did something. (Who? God.) What did God do? He made walking dead people live. Why? Because God loved even people walking in rage. (That's us.) What did God's great love move God to do? To show mercy on the walking dead. So, how did God mercify? (Reminder: Jesus had died, right? And then God raised him up from the dead to life, right? And then God seated the living Christ by his side, right?) Well: God mercified us by giving us life together with. Together with each other. Together with Christ. God raised us up together with Christ. God seated us together with Christ. By God's side. This is called grace. It's called generosity. It's called bowling over with undeserved rich gifts that knock your socks off.

We meet today with a brother or sister made richly alive by God's grace. And, together, we give praise and thanksgivings to the God of all grace and to his son, Jesus, through the Spirit of his son alive and well in us.

Waltzing

"And you were dead when you walked in trespasses and sins," Ephesians 2:1-2.

Who was dead? You. All of you. All y'all were. (We, all of us, all were dead!) The walking dead. Dead? Dead to God. Dead to life's source. Dead to who makes life. Dead to life worth walking in. At least we were walking, right? Yeah. Walking to the tune of air-borne rulers and powers out of sync with life. Walking to these deities' temporary age. To their countdown clock. Deceitful waltzing to a metronome's ticking. To time winding down in rage to oblivion. In that rage we joined the rest. Did what we wanted. Thought what we wanted. Yet their dance kept pushing us without hope into a grave larger than time's life. But then God rolled up his sleeves and did something.

We visit with a brother or sister today to tell of God's timeless love. And, together, in inexpressible joy we bless God who offers timeless life to the hopeless.