Hello,
My friends.
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monkey and dogs,
Welcoming you to another Lectio Divina contemplation audio,
This time reflecting on the words of St Paul in the book of Ephesians chapter 3 verses 14 to 21.
Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus is a very interesting piece of writing and you can almost cut this six chapter book in two,
Each section having a particular focus.
The first three chapters of Ephesians focus on who you are,
Understanding how God sees you and how God chooses to relate to you.
The second half of the book from chapter 4 through chapter 6 then takes this concept that now you understand who you are,
This is how you should now live,
This is the result of knowing that.
And the passage that we're reflecting on together today is the very last part of that first section.
It's often used as a doxology in the church and it certainly is a doxology on this idea that you are all you need to be in God.
A lot of Christian teaching over the centuries hasn't been very fair with this idea of who we are in God.
A lot of the focus has been on the idea that because of something that happened in a garden at the very beginning of time,
Human beings are tainted somehow and need to be rescued.
But this is not the only way Christian history has looked at this idea,
It's the one that's been given the most airtime,
But it's certainly not the only one.
And in fact there is a just as powerful movement of thought that has been there through Christian history that focuses on a slightly different idea.
You don't need to be rescued because you are somehow tainted,
But you do need to be rescued because somehow you think you are tainted.
That even before human beings succumb to some sort of fall as it's called in a garden,
That the story goes that this God created the heavens and the earth and having done so pronounces this statement over all that God has made including the human beings,
This is good,
In fact this is very good.
And then even well and truly before anything that happened in a garden,
This God breathes their very spirit into the first human beings,
Animates them and gives them life.
The point is my friends is that you and I are made in the image of God,
That right from the beginning when God created humanity,
God even then said this thing I have made,
It is very good,
And then breathes their very own spirit,
Their very own imprint into the human being,
Us,
Bringing us to life.
The idea here of course is that humanity needs to be rescued from thinking that it's wrong,
Thinking that it's messed itself up.
Of course we do and of course we get things wrong,
But the reality is is that there is something deep down within us,
A truth,
That we are made not to live in the ways that we have fallen into,
But we get to live in a way that's been imprinted in us from the beginning of time,
From the moment that we were created.
And when we understand that we are loved,
We are predestined,
We are adopted,
We are given hope,
We are redeemed,
And we are forgiven,
And all the things that Paul talks about in that first three chapters,
We understand the truth of who we really are.
And so as you listen to these words of this doxology that concludes these first three chapters,
May you catch that imprint of the image of God,
May you catch the sense of Paul solidifying that seal on you and saying,
See,
You truly are blessed and you're loved and you're okay.
And so I invite you to sit and be still,
To breathe deep in and out and allow the words of Paul to wash over you and bring life,
Peace,
Faith,
And hope to your spirit.
And so we begin.
For this reason,
I kneel before God,
From whom the whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
I pray that out of God's glorious riches,
God may strengthen you with power through the spirit in your inner being,
So that Christ may dwell in your hearts 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 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge,
That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
And now to the one who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine,
According to their power that is at work within us,
To God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations,
Forever and ever.
Amen.
Amen.
For this reason,
I kneel before God,
From whom the whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
I pray that out of God's glorious riches,
God may strengthen you with power through the spirit in your inner being,
So that Christ may dwell in your hearts 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.
And now to the one who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine,
According to their power that is at work within us,
To God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations,
Forever and ever.
Amen.
Amen.
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.
And now to the one who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine,
According to their power that is at work within us,
To God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations,
Forever and ever.
Amen.
Amen.
Gracious God,
We thank you for the truth that every single person has been rooted deeply in the love that is the essence of who you are.
We do ask that you would give us the power to see and understand how wide and long and deep and high this love is.
And we pray that in even just beginning to comprehend the love with which you have for every single one of us,
As we are,
We pray that you would help us to love ourselves in the same way,
And also to extend that love to the people who are around us.
And so go with us from this time into our day,
Helping us to carry this hope deep in our hearts,
And may grace,
Peace and love go with us every step of the way,
This day and every day.
Amen.
Grace,
Love and peace be with you,
My friend.
Go in that peace to share and serve the God whose love,
Whose name is love.
Amen.
Peace be with you.
Until next time.
Bye for now.
