Presented September 27, 2020 by Rev. Jesse Larson
Based on Ephesians 1:15-23
There was a pastor working in China some years ago. He was under house arrest, when suddenly soldiers came to his house one day and said, “You can return to America."
As the pastor and his wife and kids were celebrating, the soldiers said, “You can take 200 pounds with you."
Well, the pastor and his family had been in China for several years. They got out the scales and began arguing what to take: the new typewriter, the antique vase, books, clothes, souvenirs. They weighed everything, putting each item on the scales, taking them off, and then putting on various combinations of items.
Finally, they got their configuration correct and they got it right on the dot: 200 pounds exactly.
A soldier asked them, “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes.”
“Did you weigh everything?”
“Yes.”
“You weighed the kids?”
“No, we didn’t.”
“Weigh the kids.”
And in that moment, the typewriter, the vase, and every other item became insignificant trash.
I like this story because it is a lesson in perspective. And in these frightening days of COVID-19, political strife, and climate catastrophes, it’s really easy to lose perspective. The issues we face in our personal lives, as well as these massive problems I’ve just mentioned are serious, but even so, they are manageable. Most of us still have our health, our strength, our daily bread, not to mention a home, people who care about us, a society that functions relatively smoothly despite political dysfunction.
Because of the endless news cycle, what we think is important really doesn’t mean a thing in the grand scheme of things. Perspective is what keeps us grounded and allows us to prioritize what’s truly significant in life. And we all can use a good dose of perspective—daily! We need perspective in our personal lives and we need perspective as a society. We need to be able to seek out perspective in each of our lives and we need to teach perspective to our children and grandchildren. If a child has perspective, a tantrum won’t be thrown over a lost toy; if a teenager has perspective, a break-up won’t be considered the end of the world; and if an adult has perspective, a lost job doesn’t mean one is a failure. Change, losses and other disappointments become manageable when we have perspective.
Today’s text from Ephesians offers a blessing for all the things God has done for believers; it provides tremendous perspective. It is chalk-full of good news! This blessing moves from faith and love to hope, showering the reader with these life-giving truths.
Early on, we see that Paul offers his continual thanks for these believers and we learn that he is encouraged by them. Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter, so he was certainly in need of encouragement, but he was still giving thanks. Talk about perspective!
I am drawn to the way in which Paul notes that we, believers, are on a faith journey. There are gonna be lots of ups and downs, but we keep journeying. We are on the way to fuller understanding; we have not arrived yet. We are to trust the process—trust one another, but most importantly, trust God.
God’s got this!
But, as we journey, we should keep some important things in mind. First, Christ is at God's right hand, and thus, God and Christ are with us wherever we are. Second, Christ is over all other ruling powers, rulers and authorities. We are no longer—in any ultimate sense—under their control, whether they be understood as supernatural or earthly. We are freed from them, be they governments, armies, or a terrible boss, and freed for love of God and love of neighbor.
This texts pulls out all the stops as it depicts the heavenly status of Christ. Christ breaks every spatial barrier that we can imagine and every temporal barrier as well; verse 21 states, "not only in this age but also in the age to come." In this passage, Paul speaks in the present tense of Christ's rule as an accomplished fact. Therefore, we learn that Christ is the One who transcends both time and space, bringing all of us and all of creation under his care. This vision incorporates all people, and the inheritance we all have in Christ.
So we are showered by Christ’s blessings which replaces our usual scarcity thinking. Conflicts lose their significance when Christ becomes the all in all.
When I was growing up, my family celebrated what we called, “Party Night”on Fridays. Our dear family friends, the Cashings, joined us at our place for pizza and then we kids played together all over the neighborhood. Meanwhile, our parents always sat at the kitchen table and spent the night playing cards. And the game they played every Friday night was “500."
Have any of you ever heard of this game or played it? Well, if you have, you have a partner in me!
It’s a lot like Hearts or Spades or even Euchre. You have a partner and you are trying to take tricks. Bids are made and a trump suit is determined. Trump cards are the power cards. A trump card can be played and it overrides the power of other suits. It’s a very good thing to have a hand full of trump cards.
Today’s text reminds us that we have a pocket full—or rather a life full—of trump cards wherever we go. Today’s text is proclaiming our trump cards. This great prayer in Ephesians reminds of an inheritance that is much, much more than individual riches or even a beautiful heaven that awaits. It is the gift of being adopted as God’s own, joined to Christ's body, to journey alongside one another in the way of Jesus Christ.
I’m not trying to gloss over many of the issues that we face as a nation or minimize an individual’s problems. But these comforting words from Ephesians declare to us that in the midst of all the changes, the turmoil, the daily struggles, the bottom line of our existence is that God is in control, and we belong to God! The next time the news seems too depressing or your life seems like it spiraling out of control—remember to gain some perspective. These trump cards should help. Hallelujah! Amen.
I want to introduce a new benediction, authored by Steven Charleston:
Now is the moment for which a lifetime of faith has prepared you. All of those years of prayer and study, all of the worship services, all of the time devoted to a community of faith: it all comes down to this, this sorrowful moment when life seems chaotic and the anarchy of fear haunts the thin borders of reason. Your faith has prepared you for this. It has given you the tools you need to respond: to proclaim justice while standing for peace. Long ago the Spirit called you to commit your life to faith. Now you know why. You are a source of strength for those who have lost hope. You are a voice of calm in the midst of chaos. You are a steady light in days of darkness. The time has come to be what you believe. Amen.
