September 24 - Ephesians 3:1-21 - The Secret is Out

I spent part of my lunch hour today sipping a Pumpkin Spiced Latte and answering questions from a government investigator. I have a friend who is being considered for a job that will require a higher security clearance, and I was given as a reference. Apparently the information my friend is going to be exposed to is sensitive and confidential; if it gets in the wrong hands it could jeopardize national security. The investigator’s job is to make sure this candidate can keep a secret.

The Biblical Greek word for ‘secret’ is mysterion. It is translated ‘mystery’ in the NIV and it appears four times in today’s text. A literal translation of the word could be “the kept close.” Paul tells us that the mystery that was revealed to him is the mystery of Christ. This could be understood as the mystery that belongs to Christ, or the mystery that IS Christ. Paul then makes clear what the mystery is: ALL nations, along with Israel, are heirs together, one body together, sharers together of the promises of God. The puzzle is, God has been saying this since He spoke to father Abraham about producing a nation that would bless all nations. Most of the Old Testament prophets cast visions of all the nations streaming into Jerusalem to worship the Lord. How is this a mystery?

I’m going to go out on a limb here and cling to the literal translation, “the kept close.” What we’re talking about here is not a mystery that God spun to baffle us for centuries. This is no high level government encryption. This is not a secret that God wanted to hide from the world to protect Israeli national security. No not mystery, not secret, but rather “the kept close.” The “deeply treasured,” the “precious possession” of God, which was His only-begotten Son. Yes, from Abraham on, God was quite plain that His plan included blessing all the nations. What was unknown was the extent to which God would go to make it happen. That God would fully release His "closest kept;" the fullness of His love and mercy wrapped up in the Son of God. The mystery is the suffering God was willing to endure to secure blessing for every tribe and tongue and nation. He kept these treasures close to His heart, and then, in Jesus of Nazareth, the secret was out.

Let’s go unravel the mystery for anyone who will listen. Anyone, from any nation. Let’s go tell the secret that there is no love like God’s love, no blessings like the inexhaustible riches of grace that come from Jesus Christ.

I pray: that out of God’s glorious riches

he may strengthen you with power

through his Spirit in your inner being,

so that Christ may dwell in your heart

through faith.

And I pray that you,

being rooted and established in love,

may have power, together with all the saints,

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —

that you may be filled

to the measure

of all the fullness

of God.

 Now to him who is able to do

 immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,

according to his power that is at work within us,

to him be glory in the church

and in Christ Jesus

throughout all generations,

for ever and ever!

Amen.

September 23 - Ephesians 2:1-22 - Some Art Imitates Life; Some Art Animates It

During a two-week mission trip to London, my wife and I had the opportunity to visit Madame Tussaud’s, the world famous house of wax. One of the answers to the question, “How do you know you’re REALLY somebody special?” might be, “I have a wax likeness at Madame Tussaud’s.” The artists at MT’s aren’t going to take 250 precise measurements and invest the 800 hours required to produce your likeness if you’re just … anybody. You have to be Mahatma Gandhi or Albert Einstein, or Rachael Ray or the Jonas Brothers. (Yeah, fame’s a funky thing.) It’s a stunning experience to walk among that encyclopedic ‘who’s who’ of modern times. And a little weird, too – so life-like and so lifeless at the same time.

Of course, we should all be used to that, seeing as the Scripture describes the whole human race in such terms. Today’s text states that we are all at one point “dead in our sins.” Oh, we’re alive, because we have the ability to “follow the ways of the world.” We have desires, thoughts and cravings that we look to gratify. There’s a lot of activity there – but … ‘so life-like and so lifeless at the same time.’

One of the strange thoughts that goes through your head at Madame Tussaud’s (or maybe just my head; I may be stranger than most) is the thought that you could bring one of the figures to life. A particular sculpture draws your attention. You fix your eyes on that impeccably crafted face. You try to focus some kind of untapped energy in your brain as you imagine a slight tilt of its head and shift of the eyes. If I tried, could I actually vivify this thing?

There are so many ‘art’ words in today’s text; “made,” “raised up,” “workmanship,” “prepared,” “create,” “built,” and “joined together.” Each of these words refers to an action of God, and reveals Him to be the most extraordinary and superior artist of all. This Creative Genius DOES take the dead and make them alive! This Divine Sculptor takes contaminated clay and raises up vessels of honor. This Master remakes the soul, producing a whole new kind of person and a whole new kind of people. His art is the art of salvation and reconciliation.

And what of God’s motivation and means? These are key questions for the art critic; why did the artist do it and how?

“…Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved … the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus … through the blood of Christ … through the cross …”

His great love and kindness moved Him. The blood of the cross of Christ was His medium. His method revealed His unparalleled grace. And His masterpiece is the company of the redeemed.

“For we ARE God’s workmanship …”

Pray: Matchless Master Craftsman, you have crafted me in Your image and restored me unto life everlasting. You are working on me that You might work through me. Help me not to be resistant clay in your hands. As man-made objects are made and sold for millions of dollars, let me ponder the worth of my own God-made life. And as a result, worship and serve You forever.