Ep 1:3-14

5 January 2003

Epiphany Sunday / 12th Day of Xmas

“Called to Shine”

            Today, as you’ve already heard, has a variety of themes.  Not only is it the 12th Day of Christmas (the song speaks of “twelve drummers drumming”), but we’re also ordaining and installing deacons and elders.  Plus, Epiphany falls on Monday this year, so today is Epiphany Sunday.  The word “Epiphany” means manifestation, or something that is revealed or shows forth.  So when you put those last two themes together, my sermon title is explained:  called…to shine.  Get it?

            Okay, that was no good.  How about this Epiphany-related question:  “You know what would have happened if there had been three wise WOMEN instead of three wise MEN, don’t you?  They would have asked for directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the Baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and given practical gifts.”[1]  Okay, but what’s this about a baby and a stable?  The visit of the Magi was about two years after the birth!  And about the casserole…I’ll freely admit, one line you will not hear when guys get together is, “Okay, who made the green bean casserole?”  All right, enough foolishness!

            If my sermon title picks up on the themes of ordination and Epiphany, my sermon text reflects the Christmas season, which ends today.  The epistle reading in Ephesians 1 is for the second Sunday after Christmas.  Today’s passage has been called the “Great Benediction,” the great blessing, as well as the “prologue” or the “overture” to the entire letter.[2]

In the original Greek, verses 3 to 14 form one very long and very clumsy sentence—long and clumsy grammatically, that is.  But at the aesthetic, artistic level, there’s some really good stuff in there.  I’m reminded of some people I’ve heard pray, who must have taken a deep breath and then just gone with it:  a seemingly endless stream of Spirit-inspired praise and wisdom.

Such a densely-packed reading, like the one we have before us, can’t possibly be dealt with in a single sermon.  But there are some things I want to highlight.  One of them is the way this, as I called it, “really good stuff” is framed by the author, presumably Paul, in Trinitarian language.  I say “presumably” because many people have pointed out some distinctly un-Pauline qualities, such as the lack of individual focus.  The epistle called “to the Ephesians” feels more like a general letter, instead of one addressed to a particular church; we also don’t see any greetings to specific people.

Be that as it may, one of Paul’s qualities is speaking in terms of the Holy Trinity.  Verse 3 begins with God the Father.  Then in verse 7, the focus shifts to the Son.  And finally, in verse 13, the Holy Spirit comes into view.  So as a Christmas reading, we’re presented with two holy families:  the earthly one (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) and the heavenly one (the three Persons of the Trinity).

Something I find appealing about today’s reading is that it’s one of the “cosmic” passages in the New Testament.  (That’s how I think of them, anyway!)  I’m not suggesting, though, that it’s meant to be an astronomy lesson!  Throughout the passage, we’re reminded that our faith involves us in matters far beyond our day-to-day existence.  Or to think of it another way, our day-to-day existence has consequences we can’t possibly fathom, like ripples formed when a stone is tossed into a pond.

We’re told that God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (v. 3).  We’ve been chosen “in Christ before the foundation of the world” (v. 4).  In verse 10, we hear that in “the fullness of time,” all things are gathered up in Christ, “things in heaven and things on earth.”

Bill Loader, who teaches New Testament in Perth, Australia, has commented on this cosmic quality of today’s text.[3]  “The blessing (and the rest of the letter or sermon) speaks of Christ as an expanding sphere of influence or power, intent on filling the whole universe.  This gives shape to its understanding of mission.  The earth shall be filled with God's goodness.”  Loader is careful to not drift away into orbit.  “The heavenly and spiritual space appears not to be a far away place but a dimension of existence in the here and now as we participate in this life.”  That kind of puts a whole new spin on “called to shine.”

One other thing I want to bring out from our text in Ephesians is something that’s definitely one of Paul’s favorite themes:  adoption.  Verse 5 says that God “destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ.”  Adoption—the bringing in of an outsider into the family.  How often do we encounter these kinds of scenarios in life?  I’ve mentioned before how my sister and I were adopted as babies.

Still, we can think of adoption in other ways.  People adopt nations; they adopt cultures; they even adopt pets.  There’s the sense of welcoming the stranger, of being made part of the team, of being brought aboard.  That’s how God treats us—we’re made part of that cosmic family.  Even as enemies of God, we’ve been warmly embraced.

And about this matter of adoption—it becomes our calling, our honor and privilege.  We, as the body of Christ, are to extend God’s adoption to others.  It’s not so much a matter of paying God back, since how do you pay back one who has everything?  No, it’s not so much a question of “pay it back” as “pay it forward,” to borrow the title of the very interesting movie with Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, and Haley Joel Osment.

One other thing I should mention about our passage is how it moves from past to future.  I already quoted verse 4, which speaks of our being chosen by God before the world’s foundation.  In verse 14, the Holy Spirit acts as “the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people.”  That idea of “pledge” means that the Spirit seals us—stamps us—as God’s property.  Our faith has a solid foundation in the past, even the prehistoric past, even the time before time!  Our faith sustains us in the present and extends into the future.

What we do today at Westminster reflects well these ideas of adoption, of mission that continues to expand, of looking to the future.  As we ordain and install elders and deacons, we do so in the name of the triune God.

When Banu and I were at General Assembly last summer in Columbus, we came upon the Book of Occasional Services while exploring the display hall.  One of the services in it is the updated ordination service we’re using today.  (Actually, it also includes a reaffirmation of the baptismal covenant, but we’ll do that next Sunday, which is Baptism of the Lord.)

Some things that haven’t changed are the constitutional questions from the Book of Order.  Everyone who’s been ordained in the Presbyterian Church has been asked these questions.  All elders, all deacons, all ministers of Word and Sacrament:  we’ve all had these questions put to us.  We’ve all made these vows before God and before each other.  When those questions are asked in a few moments, remember that we’re still bound by them.  As the apostle Paul says in Romans 11:29, “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

Among other things, deacons are asked if they’ll direct “the people’s help to the friendless and those in need.”  This gets to the heart of what the word “deacon” means.  The Greek word diakono" (diakonos) is defined “minister” or “servant.”  A church that lacks this kind of ministry is very severely limited in its witness to Jesus Christ.

And among other things, elders are asked if they’ll “share in government and discipline, serving in governing bodies of the church.”  This reflects the Greek word for “elder”:  presbutero" (presbuteros).  That’s where we get “presbyter.”  Elder and presbyter mean the same thing.  We’re reminded that we agree to serve Christ beyond the confines of the session, which includes things like committees of presbytery, synod, or General Assembly.

And finally, among other things, the congregation is asked if it will “agree to encourage them.”  How does one encourage deacons and elders?  For that matter, how does one encourage anybody?  Is it done passively or actively?  Is it enough to refrain from doing something, for example, to refrain from giving someone grief?  Or does encouragement not require something more active?

One very good way of encouraging our deacons and elders is by joining in and strengthening the ministry.  Maybe that means helping Christian Ed.  Maybe that means helping us improve on things like mission, worship, or finance.  Encouraging means less “I can’t” or “we can’t,” and a little more “let’s give it a try.”  It means not sitting on your ideas, but rather, sharing them with session, with the pastors, with each other.  Encouraging means helping each other, heeding the call of Jesus to “let your light shine before others” (Mt 5:16).

         To sum up, Epiphany reminds us that the Christ who was revealed to the Magi, who survived the attack of Herod, is the same Christ whose reign continues to expand into every corner of the cosmos and into every corner of the human heart.  It is this Christ who calls us to reclaim our true identity, who calls us to shine.

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