Destined to Praise

Based on Ephesians 1:3-14

Today marks the beginning of a seven week journey we will take through the letter to the Ephesians. This letter, perhaps written by Paul but maybe written by someone else, is full of wisdom, theology, and some practical advice. There is a lot to unpack. We will be taking our time through this letter. But when I say we are going on a journey through Ephesians, I don’t mean that we will be going from point A to B to C. We are not going to engage with this letter in a linear fashion. Rather, I invite us to approach this letter as if we are pulling over at scenic overlooks along the route. For those of you who have gone on road trips, you know what I mean. You drive along the highway and perhaps see a sign pointing to a scenic overlook where you can stop and see a beautiful vista, get a good photo, and then get back on the road. That’s what we are going to be doing with Ephesians. Each week, it will be like pulling off the road of our journey of discipleship to take a look at the scenery, to view this life that we live as disciples of Jesus. This is what the letter to the Ephesians provides for us, opportunities to get a glimpse of what our lives in Christ are all about. And the scenery is pretty amazing.

Today, we stop at our first vista. At this scenic overlook we are given the opportunity to be inspired anew to worship God for all that God has done for us. This passage read today is actually part of one long sentence, just one phrase after another, that bursts forth with excitement over the blessings God has given us. You may have had a conversation with a child who has returned from some fun outing, maybe a theme park or the zoo. But it wasn’t really a conversation. You asked the simple question, “what did you do at the park?” And the child goes on and on, from one thing to the next, bubbling with excitement as they go on and on celebrating all the fun things they got to do at the park, just one phrase after another. That’s sort of like what Eph. 1:3-14 is like, just one phrase after another describing the amazing grace that God has lavished on us, the blessings that we have, and how this inspires us to worship God for all that God has given to us. We are going to gaze on this scenic view of God’s blessings and focus on a few of them.

The first blessing is that we are chosen, adopted, by God. Adoption especially resonates with those of us who were adopted or who have adopted children. Adoption is a process that can be long and involved. Prospective parents have to turn over tax records, go through background checks, have a home visit, be interviewed. Sometimes I would complain to Kim about how drawn out the process is to adopt a child who needs parents. But that’s how the process works. Prospective parents have to demonstrate that they will be good parents and that they really want to do this and are not acting out on a whim. Intentionality and will goes in to adopting a child. It is done with purpose. In the same way, it was with intention that God adopted you and me, claimed us as one of God’s children. It was not on a whim. And there is no guarantee that we would have ever chosen God to be our Parent. God initiated the relationship. Indeed, in vs. 5 we read that we were destined for adoption. One way or another, we were going to be God’s children through Jesus Christ.

Destiny is an interesting concept. We have to hold that tension between what we are destined to be in our life with our capacity to make our own decisions. Plus, things happen in life outside of our control that can surely impact our destiny. As an extreme example, what if you were destined to be an amazing piano player and then as a child you are involved in an accident that required the amputation of your left hand. What if you were destined to be a great baker but instead you chose to go into accounting. On the other hand, sometimes the talents of people are so great that they are destined to achieve success one way or another. I was listening to a podcast recently where they were talking about when Prince got started making music he faced a lot of rejection from music executives. But those rejections didn’t matter because Prince was too talented to not break through eventually. He was destined to be a musical giant.

In the same way, we were destined to become children of God. We are all on different spiritual journeys. Some of us grew up in the church and knew about Jesus from an early age. Others of us didn’t really give Jesus much thought until later in life. Some of us were raised in Christian homes and others of us were not. Whatever path we have been on, today, right now, we know ourselves to be children of God through Jesus Christ. We were destined to have this relationship with God. Not by accident, not on a whim, but by God’s own choice we are God’s children. And this is a reason to give glory to God that God chose us to be God’s children.

Here’s the second blessing. Because of Jesus we are made holy and blameless. Our sins are forgiven. We all know that none of us are blameless on our own. Every day we say things we shouldn’t say or we don’t speak up when we should. Our actions don’t always align with our values. By intention or by neglect, we fail to love God and others like we should. But, again, we are destined to be holy and blameless before God in love, as we see in vs. 4. We are destined to be holy and blameless? How can this be when we are not holy and blameless most of the time? We often make decisions and act in ways that block who we are destined to be. Without Jesus there is no way we could be who we are destined to be. Look what we find in vs. 7. “In Jesus we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.” This is amazing grace! Even though we fall short of who we are destined to be, Jesus closes the gap to make our destiny possible. Of course, we strive to live holy and blameless lives. We strive to live our lives guided by love for God and neighbor as we love ourselves. But when we fall short, Jesus extends the grace that covers over our shortcomings so that, as far as God is concerned, we are standing before God holy and blameless. Because of Jesus, we can be who we are destined to be. And that is a reason to give glory to God. We are forgiven! Our struggle to live holy lives are not in vain. In the words of the Christian artist Keith Green, we just keep doing our best and pray that it’s blessed. Jesus takes care of the rest. We don’t have to be perfect. And when we fall short it doesn’t mean we are failures. Jesus makes things right. With Jesus, we are in a right relationship with God. Praise God!

Here’s a third blessing. We are, right now, experiencing what God intends for all of creation, which is unity in Christ. This is part of God’s plan which we see in vs. 10, “to gather up all things in Jesus, things in heaven and things on earth.” God is all about unity, not division. This is a bold thing to claim, especially when we look at the church and see that we are divided in so many ways and those divisions are deep. And it’s not just in the church, we see it everywhere, divisions based on race, class, sexual orientation and gender identity, politics, language, religion, and on and on. We all know that the divisions in our nation run deep. Yet, God’s plan is that there be unity in Christ. Where do we see that unity? We get glimpses of it from time to time. We see unity when people of different backgrounds that are often at odds with each other come together in a time of need to help one another. In times of disaster, people help one another regardless of who you voted for in the last election or what your views are regarding people of different ethnicities or sexual orientations. All those differences are set aside in times of crisis. Or we see unity when Christians of different denominations or theological positions come together to worship or to stand together for a just cause. I am reminded of the march for racial unity that took place last summer that was organized by churches here on the West side. Unfortunately, the unity that we seek to embody is not consistent. And there are always those voices that work hard to drive wedges and divide people.

Still, it is God’s plan that one day there will be unity. God will see to it that there is unity in Christ. We aren’t there yet. But it will come to pass someday. And this is what is exciting for us. When we, as Christians, make real the unity that we have in Christ, despite our real differences, we are helping to realize God’s intentions. When we determine to find common ground and live together in unity, we are contributing to something much bigger than ourselves. We are helping to bring to reality God’s plan. How amazing! In a small way, the unity we manifest is part of God’s cosmic plan for unity. We fashion one more stitch in God’s glorious tapestry. The unity we express makes real what Martin Luther King spoke of: “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” The reality is that our lives are linked. We really are connected. Our actions or inactions really do impact the universe. Our opportunity and blessing are to live our lives acknowledging this unity. We have been given this wisdom and insight into how God has knit all of creation together. We are blessed to live our lives guided by this insight that we are all one in Christ. Everywhere we look is our community. We are never alone. Praise God!

Here’s one last blessing. We have been guaranteed an inheritance. Not an inheritance of money or property, but an inheritance in God’s kingdom. As we read in vs. 13 and 14, we have been “marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance towards redemption as God’s own people.” It has been said elsewhere that you and I are co-heirs with Christ. Or, as we see in 1 Peter 1, we have “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” This speaks of the eternal inheritance we will enjoy with our resurrected bodies. We have this living hope that death for us is a transition into new life in the heavenly places, a life that will never end and an inheritance that will never fade. How awesome! What glories await us when we get through these few years of trials and sufferings. We have a great future ahead of us. Praise God!

It is for all these blessings and more that this first scenic vista in our journey through Ephesians inspires us to give praise and glory to God for all that God has done for us. When we gather for worship every Sunday, we are participating in what God has destined for us to do. We are praising God and giving God glory for all that God has done for us, the grace that God has lavished on us. Today, we join voices with all believers in heaven and earth to give God praise, the one who alone is worthy of all glory and praise!