Ephesians 1:3-14

The challenge of preaching Ephesians 1:3-14 lies in conveying the expansive grace and mystery the Pauline author presents while confronting real theological issues. There are words we Wesleyans don’t care for much—like chosen and destined. Behind these words lurk concepts like “determinism” and “predestination.” We then think of boundaries. Who is in? Who is out? Who is eligible for salvation?

While these questions are important, we can easily undercut the good news of the passage if we get caught in theological minutia. This passage is about the mystery and expansive nature of grace. The Pauline writer can’t help but run on about the dimensions of grace and uses God’s action as the gauge to describe its vastness.

First and foremost, preach this text pastorally. Ask how the verbs of God’s grace would fall on the ears of those in our pews, exploring the vast ocean of grace in which we’re always treading, and help the congregation know that grace always abounds. Rather than reducing the passage to arguments, let it be a conduit for someone to know God’s grace just like the first time.

In his marvelous comments on Ephesians in Practice Resurrection, Eugene Peterson says, “Paul get our resurrection attention by shooting off seven verbal rockets: verbs that get things done, verbs that run the cosmos intentionally and personally…Seven verbs: blessed…chose…destined…bestowed…lavished…made known…gather up…”[1] It would be good to pick any or all of these rocket words to launch the congregation into an expedition. This is an opportune time to preach as testimony – either personal or from stories within the congregation.

Recently, I witnessed the power of what it means to be chosen and adopted by God. Each week in our worship service, a liturgist gives a brief testimony before leading our responsive reading. On Father’s Day, a liturgist shared her story. Having grown up without a father until she was six, her mother married a man who adopted her. He chose her and gave her his name. Years later, this family disowned her after her mother passed away. Through tears, she shared that despite feeling her father’s rejection deeply, God has shown her that her heavenly Father has not rejected her. She said, “I am so grateful that I am adopted into a family that I will never be rejected from.” This was a powerful moment for our congregation.

Grounding these actions of God in real-life situations of brokenness reveals the healing balm of grace. While terms like “chosen” may trip us up theologically—raising questions about the exclusivity of election—this passage is the best news for those who have experienced rejection. People need to know that God desires to:

·       Bless, not curse.

·       Choose, not reject.

·       Destine, not leave us aimless.

·       Bestow, not withhold.

·       Lavish, not be miserly.

·       Make known, not hide.

·       Gather up, not scatter.

These verbs together form the container of God’s grace in the world for us – always expanding grace upon grace upon grace.  

This Sunday is a great opportunity to offer baptism or have the congregation remember their baptism. Meditating on those seven rocket words conjures up the image of immersion in the Father’s action at Christ’s baptism. The booming voice from heaven and the Spirit descending like a dove blesses the Lord Jesus with love and affirmation. Christ is chosen from before the beginning, given a destination in his calling, which will be a cross. Even so, he knows his God is with him. He is given everything he needs to face temptation. His purpose is pure and holy, revealed by God.

In our baptism, we remember the depth of the grace we’ve been immersed in. We are chosen for God’s household as we are received into it by God’s people. We confess of Christ crucified. We proclaim his resurrection. We share in the eternal priesthood. The Pauline author’s verbal framing can’t hold the depth that we’ve been plunged into as we have been enveloped into the family of God.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this passage is that when we take it as a whole, limited atonement and determinism just don’t hold much sway. Because the truth of the matter is that there’s too much grace merely to be the sole recipient of it.  Salvation is a gift that can’t ever be held with a closed hand. It must always be open, not that the Lord would take it away, but that it’s not just for “us.” To be adopted into this family means that we witness to a grace that goes beyond us and is available for the next person and the next and the one after that. When the grace of God is more abundant than we can even imagine, the operative response is to give praise. The best songs in our hymn books are the ones that do all they can to describe what is indescribable when it comes to God’s love. May the good news of God choosing us so the next person can become aware of their chosen-ness cause us to sing ever more fervently:

His love has no limit

His grace has no measure

His power no boundary known unto man

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth

And He giveth

And He giveth again 

[1] Eugene Peterson, Practice Resurrection: A Conversation on Growing up in Christ (Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2013) chap. 3, Kindle.