Glimpse

Last Sunday our talk at Westside was entitled “Glimpse”, the second instalment in “The Rumour” series. This brief devotion will help you follow up on what was said and hopefully begin to show the logic of how the various pieces fit together. We invite you to read Ephesians 2, the Scripture text upon which the talk was based. And even more, we invite you to think about how this ancient text – when read with an engaged mind – can really transform the way we think about life.

What began in the eternal mind of God (Ephesians 1), now takes root in two very historical and tangible events: the event of Jesus (2:1-10) and the event of the community which forms in his name (2:11-22). Our text speaks of how each of these events contain within them both personal and communal meanings to consider.

What does the Jesus event mean for us as individual persons (2:1-10)? The defining idea here is that the promise of human significance is dependent on Jesus, specifically his death and resurrection. We could say that, in Jesus (in all that he is and all that he does), humanity is embraced by God, and that because of him, we move from alienation and estrangement towards meaning and life. Famously Paul said that the best way to see this is that “we are God’s work” (literally, his beautiful work, his poem). Jesus is the one who recaptures our significance and wins it back for us.

In light of these things, what is the meaning of the community formed in his name (2:11-22)? While the church has an admittedly checkered history, it is helpful for us to see that there are radical possibilities for human social life which naturally extend from the Jesus event. If we work from the idea that “Jesus himself is our peace”, it begins to dawn on us that the lines that have been drawn between groups of people are able to be transcended. In the gospel there emerges the beginning of a new kind of humanity. That is a startling idea. Paul says that the people who form their social life around the person of Jesus, actually grow into a place where God lives.

This Sunday brings the third installment in our series, a talk we are calling “Touch”, our take on Ephesians 3.

Join us at 9:29 or 11:11 if you can; or tune into the podcast through the week.

Bob-O