Call and Response

There appeared to Jesus a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for 18 years. She was bent over and quite unable to stand up straight. Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood straight and began praising God. Luke 13:10-13

It is a challenge living into the healing God has for us in life. My favorite uber-psychologist is Carl Jung. He says that: "We walk in shoes too small for us." What might that mean? Are we like the crippled woman who could only see the dirt and dust of the ground right in front of her feet for 18 long years? The woman who couldn't see that there was a larger, brighter world just in front of her and all around?

In his book What Matters Most: Living a Considered Life, James Hollis writes that living "small" is easier than living "large." Hollis tells the story of a man who was 70 years old and retiring from his profession:

What beckoned him ---promising peace, stepping down from the pressures, offering freedom to pursue his interests--has proved to be rather prblematic after all. It seems that in the decades of faithfully serving the expectations of his family, his church, his profession, he has essentially lost contact with his own needs, his own instinctual reality. Like so manhy people, he does not feel an essential permission to be who he is, desire what he wants and pursue what the soul wants. How incredible is this fact that a person can live a productive life, be approved of by family and culture, and have acheived every conscious goal, and still have "no"permission. (p. 63)

I was truly struck by this man's predicament. At different stages of life--not just retirement--we can find ourselves in this situation. We've so lived our lives according to external prompts and expectations that we have forgotten who we are in our deepest soul. We have forgotten the child of God that God created us--and only us--to be. And then, we go back to a place that brings us back to our truest selves. For many of us, that can be our church home. It can be the liturgy of our faith. It can be a summer spot at the ocean or in the mountains. For me, it was going back to my childhood camp this summer.

Going back to a place that I loved allowed me to recover some of the self that I have placed on a shelf somewhere in my soul. A shelf that I will get back to some day. A shelf that had gathered plenty of dust. It's a self that loves to sing and laugh. It's a self that finds God in the outdoors, in the everyday schedule, in friends that know and love you for the long haul. It's so easy to lose that self in the business of our vocational life. This is just as true in the church as it is in the corporation or the school or the business. Somewhere along the way we shelve a critical part of who we are to serve an external authority. Even though that authority might do very good work in the world, if we lose who God created us to be--that very unique part that each of us carries and is given to give back to the world---we are truly lost. Jesus talks about this again and again in so many different parables and teachings.

Yesterday I saw one of the Samartian community clients on the sidewalk. We chatted for a bit. Then he said, "Mother Martha, you look different. The summer agreed with you." Yes, it did. And I wonder: Am I standing up just a bit straighter? Maybe it took dusting off the shelf of my soul by the lake in Tennessee and remembering who I am.

Final Thoughts on Paul's Letter to the Ephesians

And so we leave Ephesians: It's been a good six weeks together. I've had comments from several of you. Over the past six weeks, I wonder if you've started to think differently about the Pauline letters. As I have grown older and lived more of my life, I am beginning to relate to Paul's words differently. For instance, I do believe that there is spiritual warfare in this world. As Mary Jo commented this week, I also believe that there is a good deal of good in the world. There is also evil---and by that I mean a force in the world that harms the created order and is estranged from God. Evil is something more than individual sin. No human being starts out in a place of evil. We are all created in the image of God. I believe that evil arises from a pattern of sin that often starts out very insignificant and builds on itself. For me, the worship, teaching and community life of the church--the Body of Christ--is what keeps me connected to God and allows me to return to God when I fall away. There is also institutional and collective evil that is powerful in a frightening way. It is part of the Christian call to confront that evil and stand firm for the Kingdom of God. As Mary Jo points out, we often feel that we have the corner on what is good and what is evil. We must always be on guard for our own separation from God. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith. (1 Peter 4:8-9) There's more on this elsewhere in the New Testament....but that's for another time.

What's Next:
I hope that we can continue to ponder what it is to live in Christ in the world. I would like to continue the blog. I am thinking of commenting on Phyllis Tickle's book The Great Emergence which the Tuesday Morning Study Group is reading. What do you think?

I'll be back with the new topic next week. Until then....Thank you for pondering with me over Paul's Letter to the Ephesians. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. Blessings always, Martha

Ephesians--Chapter 5 &6

Ephesians 5 &6: Combatting Evil in Life: Take Up the Armour of God!

Comments: Last night at our Tri Church Lenten Series with our local Presbyterian and Roman Catholic churches, we discussed how we confront evil through the rituals of the church. Yesterday evening we focused on baptism. As we continue to ponder how we live as Christians, how we put on Christ in our lives, I want to set the stage for our final week's discussion by drawing your attention to this famous passage in Ephesians 6:

Finally then, find your strength in the Lord, in his mighty powers. Put on all the armour which God provides, so that you may be able to stand firm against the devices of the devil. For our fight is not against human foes, but against the cosmic powers, against the authorities and potentates of this dark world, against the superhuman forces of evil in the heavens. therefore, take up God's armour; then you will be able to stand your ground when things are at their worst, to complete every task and still to stand. Ephesians 6:10-13

How do we face evil? What is the difference between sin and evil in our lives?

Our commenters Mary Jo and Margie this week spoke about how we deal with estrangement in our daily lives:

Mary Jo said in part: "Resentments will not only kill the spirit but will eventually kill the flesh. Resentments can take over your entire life. Your entire demeanor will reflect the anger and bitterness that accompanies resentment. I try not to carry resentments. As soon as I realize that resentment is creeping into my life I will talk with someone about what is going on. Sometimes resentment is based on miscommunication or misinformation. even if the cause of resentment is based on truth, it will kill me if I hang on to it. It is impossible to be joyful, happy and free if resentment controls my life......What is the hardest thing about being a Christian? Being a Christian!....Being a Christian is like being a hero. It's not that a hero isn't afraid. The hero goes forward in spite of the fear."

Margie in South Africa said this: "To live as a Christian everyday means listening to others rather than criticising them. We need to be THERMOSTATS, not thermometers." As a part of her e-mail, Margie sent a piece on being a thermometer which said in part: "Scripture says you overcome evil with good. In your life, when you deal with those who are negative, critical, rude and short-tempered, you don't have to let them infect you. You can infect them. You don't have to be part of the majority; you can live in the minority. You can act as a thermostat, one who changes the temperature and the attitudes of those around you....when you talk defeat, you draw in defeat....You didn't let them pull you down. You pulled them up."

Do you think that being a Christian thermostat can work in the world? Can it work against not just sin but evil?

Homework: Read Chapter 6. Also, read through the text of the hymn "Onward, Christian Soldiers." (Hymnal 1982, #562) There are many who have issues with this hymn. Some love it. How might it relate to the armour of God? Think about evil in the world. How is it different than sin? How do we stand firm in a world with evil?

Ephesians Online--Chapter 4 Comments

Epheisans Online--Chapter Four Comments and Chapter Five Homework

Hi all! Sorry for the slight delay....we have received historic amounts of snow in Baltimore--about 60 inches in the past three weeks or so. We are all just now plowing out and getting back to our routines and schedules. And now...it's Ash Wednesday and Lent already. As we move into Chapter 4, we are moving from the theme of the first three chapters--"WHY" we follow Christ--to the second three chapters--"HOW" we follow Christ. As a discussion topic, I wondered if some of you had seen the movies Avatar and District 9 to think about how we are as Christians in the world. Two of you had comments that I'll share:

Margie from South Africa said about Avatar: "Lots of Violence! It reminded me of Bush sending his troops into Iraq, destroying the regime. As a Christian, I found it violent but it certainly showed how those with power can become greedy...From the side of the indigenous folk, they were fighting to survive an evil force. We need to be like Jesus in this world and not go with the flow of evil around us."

Mary Jo from Baltimore/Columbia wrote about Avatar: "It seemed to me that the indigenous people were closer to the oneness of their belief system than the invaders. I thought it was wonderful cinematography as well as propaganda. I don't often consciously think of things in a Christian context. To be honest I don't often consciously think of my actions in "Christian" terms. I do look at whether or not something reflects my values and do my actions reflect those same values."

Mary Jo went on to say: "Human nature would make me think that it was as equally difficult to live as Paul suggests at the time he wrote the letter as it is today. The challenge is to understand and/or believe in a "just war" or to beleive in no war. Is God on one side or the other...since it seems that everyone calls to the Creator for help to destroy their enemy? My mother often said that God must weep for what we do in His name."

Mary Jo also recalled a trip that she and Gert took to Jerusalem and the Chruch of the Holy Sepulcher: "The church is divided into different sections because the Roman Catholic and Eastern orthodox both lay claim to the Church. they have come to blows over who has the right to light the Easter vigil candles among other issues. For centuries the secular government has often intervened in their disputes. What an example of Christian love! In ordinary daily life we are confronted by such simple/complex issues as how to resolve differences between friends or who was first in line...and with the recent storm, who has the right to the shoveled parking spaces! For some, the answers to these issues are: to be civil, show respect, and consider others. Is this a modern interpretation of Ephesians 4:32 "be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ?"

All good comments. What do others of you think? E-mail me at mmacgill@memorialepiscopal.org if you can't get the comment piece of the blog to work for you. Lucy in South Africa: what do you think? Alice in Baltimore?

Homework for Chapter 5: What does it mean to be a Christian everyday? Let's continue the discussion we began above. What is the hardest thing to do as a Christian in everyday life? Paul talks about abandoning anger as the sun sets....is this possible in every situation? According to William Barclay, Paul ends Chapter 4 with a list of things which must be banished from life. One of those things is bitterness or pikria. According to Barclay, the Greeks defined this word as long-standing resentment--"the spirit which refuses to be reconciled." (p. 183 Barclay, The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians) What do we do about long-standing resentments? How do we follow Christ into a place of justice and reconciliation?

Let me know. Looking forward to what you have to say.

Ephesians Online--More comments and Chapter 4

Ephesians Chapters 2 &3 Comments

Initial comments: I know some of you continue to find it difficult to comment online. I heard from Margie C. in South Africa that she had trouble as well. Please do e-mail me comments at mmacgill@memorialepiscopal.org and I can include your thoughts. We are also having trouble with the blog posted to the Memorial website. So, we will finish out this course using this method, but move to a better program for our next topic. I love that we have folks in Baltimore AND South Africa studying Ephesians together!

Baltimore context: As those of you in the States know, Baltimore got a record-setting snow over the weekend. Howard County--where Mary Jo lives--got almost 40 inches. It looks like a good two feet plus in Baltimore City. While the Memorial Church sidewalks are plowed, many of the Bolton Hill streets are not passable. There were 30 locals at our Morning Prayer service this past Sunday. No Annual Meeting. Another snowstorm approaching Tuesday night! So, we can all feel a bit like Paul in prison---housebound is fun for a while and then cabin fever sets in! We can feel a bit walled off from our communities.

Speaking of Paul in prison: Mary Jo asked some good questions about if things were becoming rough for Christians in this period---including why Paul was in prison. In general terms, the safety of Christians depended on the Roman leadership. If the emperor was lax about Christian practices, there was peace for the Christian. If the emperor was threatened by the Christian practice to NOT pledge loyalty to the emperor, then persecutions began. Paul was preaching in public places and probably stirring up crowds which made the Roman powers nervous and which made him an easy mark. Persecutions became more common in the second century. An interesting note: Some scholars (Marcus Barth and Jerome Murphy-O'Connor have suggested that Ephesians was written by a follower of Paul from the Essene community of Qumran. The Essenes were concerned with principalities and powers as well as persecution from within the Jewish community.

Several themes in Chapter 1 through 3: The book of Ephesians is roughly divided into two sections--Chapters 1-3 and Chapters 4-6. In Chapters 1-3, Paul (or Paul's followers) sets the theme of God's power in Christ in the church. This theme is marked by and told through forms of prayer in Chapters 1-3. Ephesians 3:14-21 is the concluding prayer in this first section of Ephesians. Here are some interesting themes:

(1)"Rooted and Grounded:" Commentators have puzzled over this mixed-metaphor from farm and building. (3:17) Paul has used these images before when he speaks of the church or household of God "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets" and "is joined together and grows into a holy temple".."for a dwelling place of God." (2:20-22). This is a good argument that Paul or someone who knew Paul well wrote Ephesians. The building/agriculture metaphor is cound in 1 Corinthians 3:6-15 and Colossians 2:6-7. Paul was fond of combining these two images in his uncontested letters.

(2) "Rooted and Grounded" and the "Dividing Wall": In Ephesians, the love of Christ is not only a deeply rooted and cosmic all-powerful force, but this love breaks down walls. In Chapter Two, Paul writes: "But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For his is our peace; in his flesh he has made noth groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us." (2:13-14) What might this dividing wall be referring to? Some commentators have suggested that this was a reference to "the low barrier around the outer court of the Jerusalem temple on which notices were posted in Greek and Latin warning Gentiles against entry." (Bonnie Thurston, Spiritual Life in the Eearly Church, p. 86) Scholar G.B. Caird finds the term to reflect a metaphor from rabbin and biblical theology. The word phragmos ("fence" or "partition") is used in the Greek text of Isaiah 5:2 and Mark 12:1 for the hedge that God plants around his vineyard, Israel. Caird notes that in Ephesians, the metaphor may refer to God's protective hedge which has now become a hostile, rigid, legal system under Jewish nationalism. God's love is so powerful that even this hedge has been overcome. It is safe for Gentiles to embrace the Jewish heritage. Those in Christ are one.

(3) "Infinitely More than We Can Ask or Imagine": Paul ends the prayer of Ephesians 3:14-21 with these famous final two verses. Verses captured as the closing sentences in the Episcopal tradition of Morning Prayer. God in Christ is so powerful that everything is up for transformation. This passage harkens to the annunciation of Mary--"For nothing will be impossible with God"(Luke 1:37) as well as Romans 8:39: "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." These are passages that give hope across the ages. Liturgically, this section of Ephesians is chosen as the reading for Ascension Day. In Feasting on the Word, Joyce Hollyday states that "Because Christ is enthroned in heaven, we can expect the earthly thrones to be vacated by the abusive, imperial rulers, just as Mary the mother of Jesus predicted 2000 years ago (see the Magnificat Luke 1). We can trust that all will unfold "according to the working of God's great power." (Ephesians 3:19) This is indeed part of "the hope to which God has called us."

Cultural Ponderings: Over the Christmas holidays, I saw the blockbuster movie, Avatar. Over this snowbound weekend, I watched District Nine. Both movies speak to the earthly powers' (and maybe heavenly powers') destructive tendencies to the"other." Both movies speak to the dividing walls we humans are inclined to erect again and again. Since District Nine was set in South Africa, I was wondering what our South African bloggers think of that movie. In particular, how does the love of God become all-powerful in the face of violent oppression? Is violence for violence the only answer(see Avatar especially)? How might Paul respond to those situations in a letter? Or is that just too strange to consider? How would we as Christians respond to those films?

Homework: Consider the questions above and then read Chapter Four---which begins the second half of Ephesians--the half that considers how we act as Christians in the world.

Ephesians Online--Chapter Two and Three

Comments on Chapter Two of Ephesians:

Hope that everyone is reading along in Ephesians. We had two comments this week--from Lucy and Mary Jo. Here is my response:

Chapter Two of Ephesians speaks to sin and grace. I have two primary points on this chapter about context. I'll talk more about sin and grace as we move through the letter. Today I want to add to my comments last week about the religious context which Paul speak to in his Letter to the Ephesians. In her book Spiritual Life of the Early Church, Bonnie Thurston explains about the city of Ephesus and its religious character.

The City of Ephesus: According to Greek legend, Ephesus was founded by the Amazons. There were also several permutations of Ephesus. The silt in the harbor led to there being FIVE different locations of Ephesus over the years. In the first century, Ephesus had a quarter of a million inhabitants and was ranked with Antioch in Syria and Alexandria in Egypt as the three great cities of the Eastern Mediterranean. Ephesus was politically important as it was the capital of the Roman province in Asia. It was a major shipping center and was the terminal of important inland trade routes. The city was laid out in a Hellenistic plan with a stadium and theatre. Here is a good description from Thurston's book: "The luxury of the city in Paul's time(57 c.e.?) is attested to by the remnants of marble streets with statues of prominent citizens and canopied colonnades that shielded shoppers from the weather. The city contained public buildings and temples as well as restaurants, a brothel, and patrician homes. The city had six public baths with provision for both hot and cold water. " (p. 68) I like to think of Ephesus like St Peter's Square in Rome---with all those colannades and statues.

The Religions of Ephesus: Second, in addition to being a major city in trade, population and culture, Ephesus was also a great religious center. First and foremost, Ephesus historically had been the center of the cult of Artemis along with the emperor cults, gnosticism and a magical form of Judaism. Artemis was a very popular form of goddess worship in the ancient Greek world. Artemis was the daughter of Leto and Zeus and the sister of Apollo. She is also known as Diana. In most Artemis worship, Artemis is seen as a virgin hunter and moon goddess who is the protector of maidens and women in childbirth. The Ephesian Artemis was different and was more of an Asian fertility goddess and earth mother. In Ephesus, there was the famous Artemision. The Artemision was a temple which served the goddess Artemis. The temple was staffed by eunuch priests, attendants, and thousand of female slaves (who may have been prostitutes). Magic played a large part in the worship of Artemis. Biblical Scholar B.M. Metzger wrote that "of all ancient Greco-Roman cities, Ephesus...was by far the most hospitable to magicians, sorcerers, and chalatans of all sorts." (quoted in Thurston, p. 69) Thurston states that Ephesus "proliferated in magical practice, the aim of which was to gain power over the spiritual world (which, it was believed, exercised influence over all aspects of human life). Followers of Artemis saw her as more powerful than this demonic realm and that the purpose of Ephesians was to address the power of Christianity in relation to these demonic powers. Take a look at Chapter Two once again: How might Paul be speaking to those Christian Ephesians that had been part of the cult of Artemis?

Chapter Three: This chapter has the great prayer in verses 14-21. If you were listening to the Letter being read in a home in Ephesus, what would you hear in this Chapter? What would you want to know about?

Ephesians Online---Chapter Two

Chapter One--Reply to Comments and More

Initial Kudos! We had three comments to Chapter One. One from our friend Lucy in South Africa and two from Memorialites Mary Jo and Alice B. Well Done! I know that it can be hard to figure out how to comment on line. The best way is to go to my blog OFF the memorial website. Log into mmmeditation on blogger.com. Go down to the comment pencil and click. Other comments will come up and at the end of those comments is a space for you to post your comments. Give it a try! If it is frustrating (which I know it is), just e-mail at mmacgill@memorialepiscopal.com. I'll include your comments in my reply...and if I don't get too frustrated, will try to figure out how to post them. Now, on to Ephesians!

Comments on Chapter One: Our writers noted the long sentences in Ephesians and the great list of blessings. Our commenters also noted trust as being a response to the love of God. Moreover, they wondered about the concept of church in Ephesians. I have three points in reply.
First, the writer of Ephesians (whether Paul or a follower of Paul) was of a Jewish background living in a Hellenistic world. Chapter One follows a very Jewish spirituality. In her book Spiritual Life in the Early Church: The Witness of Acts and Ephesians, Bonnie Thurston notes scholar Urban T. Holmes' view that there are three primary images in Jewish belief and practice at this time: da'ath, shekinah, and berakah. (p. 9) These three images are found in the very first chapter of Ephesians. Da'ath is "knowledge that takes possession of the person known." Shekinah is "the dwelling of God with God's people." Shekinah is present not only in the Temple but in the midst of several people when they gather together to study Torah. Finally, berakah is blessing or thanksgiving. It is "the characteristic response to God and involves blessing God's name and being thankful for all God has done."
Now, give a look to Chapter One of Ephesians. All three images are present--reworked by Paul to include the Christian witness and a Hellenistic audience. Da'ath is found in the sense that God takes possession of us in Christ. Verse 5: "He(God) destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will." Verse 10: "as a plan, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and on earth." Shekinah is manifest in Paul's view that when the people gather in faith God gives them the spirit of wisdom and revelation. That in community "the eyes of your heart" are "enlightened," that "you may know what is the hope to which he has called you." (verse 18). Of course, as many of you have noted, the concept of berakah literally permeates chapter one....blessing upon blessings.
So, first, Paul's writing takes a very Jewish spirituality--and is reworked for the Christian church in a Hellensitic setting.

Second, the concept of church. In response to Chapter Two, I will go into more detail with this in my comments at the end of this week. Two points for now: (1) Paul's concept of "church" in Ephesians is a church that is more than a congregation in one place. The church is more than a temple in Jerusalem. The church is a cosmic church--and church that breaks the bonds of what Jews or Greeks have thought about church. (2) Ephesus was the center of the cult of Artemis as well as a center for magical powers. The writer of the Letter to the Ephesians was grappling with these powerful influences.

Third, in the end, I find Chapter One a stirring spiritual encouragement to those separated from ones that they love. Whether Paul was actually in prison when he wrote this letter, verses 15-19 truly sustained me when I was in South Africa and feeling separated from family and friends back home. The power of knowing that folks were praying for you from across the world was palpable and real. You can feel it! I also learned during my time in South Africa that the very same power was right by my side as I began to pray weekly with my lay ministers (Lucy included) on Monday nights in the church. As we gathered together in St Francis in Walkerville, God's Spirit was with us--the eyes of our hearts were opened again and again. The famous Prayer of St Crystostom in the Book of Common Prayer reflects this: "when two or three are gathered together in my name, you will be in the midst of them." This concept of prayer and blessing is especially important when we are separated from someone we love who is in crisis---whether in the hospital away from home or across the globe. It is also helpful for those of us who want to pray for those we don't know in a hard time---like the people of Haiti. The power of coming together to pray with others in faith and with love for the saints is one of the most powerful tools we have in this world. So pray away!

Assignment for this week: Read Chapter Two as you read Chapter One. What grabs you? What makes you wonder? Is there a time in your life when you felt dead through sin and came alive again?

Ephesians Online---Chapter One

Welcome to the Ephesians Online Course!
This is the first time I've tried an online course at Memorial....so we are all part of a great experiment. My first blog of the New Year gives you some ideas of why I love the Letter to the Ephesians (see my post immediately before this one). Now comes the time to dig into the text. Here are some initial comments about how I am approaching the course.

Getting started with Paul: This will be a six-week course. There will be THREE segments to each weekly class. FIRST, each Monday, I will post an initial assignment for the week. The assignment will include (1) reading from the Letter to the Ephesians; (2) Some preliminary comments by me; and (3) some questions to mull over. THEN comes the SECOND interactive phase. This phase is important and involves your input and comments. As you read and mull over the assignment, I humbly invite your comments on the readings and questions. What strikes you about the reading? Where do you have immediate (even visceral) positive or negative reactions? What do you wonder about Paul, the community he writes to, and the utility of this piece of scripture to your everyday faith. On FRIDAY, the third phase happens. I will take the comments for the week and write my own response. That response will probably include research on Paul and the community of Ephesus, the historical context of the times, what scholars have said, and just general ruminations from me. At the end of the course, I hope that we can gather in person for coffee or tea (and maybe host a local New Testament scholar) to put a capstone on our time together. If this proves to be a popular idea, we can choose another topic for Lent. So here we go with our first assignment.

Week of 2 Epiphany beginning January 18, 2010:

Assignment: (1)Read Chapter One of Paul's Letter to the Ephesians. The Letter comes after Galatians and before Philippians in the New Testament. I would suggest a form of lectio divina type of reading. First, make sure you have some time of quiet without distractions--early morning or late evening are often best. Read Ephesians through once. Then, read Ephesians OUTLOUD slowly. Keep pen and paper nearby and after you have read the text outloud, make notes about what words and phrases struck you. Now think about the passage in relation to my following comments and questions.

(2) Martha's comments: Chapter One of Ephesians takes on a common Pauline formula: Salutation/Greeting in verses 1:1-2, Thanksgiving of Blessings--to God(verses 3-14) and to the hearers of the Letter (15-22). One of the hallmarks of Paul is his concept of faith as a response made in trust. The greek word he uses for this response is pistis. Pistis is usually translated as "faith" but also "trust". According to Paul, the gospel message must be heard and heeded in trust and faith. According to scholar Leander Keck:

When Paul understands faith as obedience, he does not regard the gospel as command. Rather, it is a message that makes a claim on the hearer, one which calls for a response that has a moral quality to it, not merely an intellectual assent....It energizes the will no less than the mind and feelings; trust is a response of the whole self. When that response is to a word that makes a claim on the hearer, that response can be called obedience....To trust is to commit oneself...The more radical the message, the deeper the response. In fact, who we are is determined by whom and what we trust (or distrust), by what we count on. (Keck, Paul and His Letters, Proclamation Commentaries, Gerhard Krodel, editor, pp. 51-52)

In verses 15ff., Paul commends the people in Ephesus (or the churches in Asia Minor where the letter was circulated) for their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love towards all the saints. They are commended for their response. This is the part of the letter that grabs me again and again.

Questions: (1) What part of Chapter One of the Letter to the Ephesians grabbed you? That made you sit up and notice? If you were in a home church in Ephesus listening to this letter being read, what would you take away? Or had Paul lost you when he started in on adoption and redemption?
(2)Where does trust figure into your faith life? In what do you absolutely trust in this life?

I'll be watching for comments on this blog all through the week. You can also e-mail at mmacgill@memorialepiscopal.org. It works best if we all post our comments on this blog so, like in a face-to-face class, we can benefit from everyone's comments. Grace and peace, Martha+

New Year with Apostle Paul and the Ephesians

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 1:1-2

And so it begins. Paul, the sometimes cantakerous and always wordy fellow, begins his letter to the Christian church in Ephesus. I've always loved this letter. Our Episcopal lectionary brings the Letter of Ephesians to our Sunday consciousness at Epiphany. It is a letter that brings tidings of hope and celebration.

Scholars are divided as to the authorship of the Letter to the Ephesians. Was it Paul himself who wrote the letter or one of his followers? Ephesians is regarded as a "circular letter" that was not written specifically for the church in Ephesus, but distributed to the churches in Asia Minor. There are significant differences in the writing style and content within the Letter to the Ephesians from works attributed definitively to Paul. Such differences lead scholars to believe that the letter was written by a follower of Paul...someone who had access to Paul's correspondence. If that is the case, so be it. Yet, something in me likes to think that Paul was the author of this letter---at least, the author of the original draft of the letter. For scholars do think, that if Paul did write the letter, he did so at the end of his life while he was in prison.

As one reads the Letter to the Ephesians, the hope and celebration leap off the page---and this is even more palpable when one considers that Paul is writing these words in a jail cell at the end of his life. I find that the Letter to the Ephesians speaks to me when I am particularly feeling in a prison of sorts--often a prison of my own devising. The letter speaks to me when I find myself stuck in some way.

As we begin the New Year 2010 together, I'd like to use the Letter to the Ephesians as a scriptural text for our wondering about hope and celebration in a difficult time. I hope you'll join me in this journey. Add your comments if so moved. Or just come along as you are able. Grace to you and Peace. Martha+