Saturday, March 29, 2014

Today’s text

Ephesians 1:7-10

In him, through his blood, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins. Such is the richness of the grace which he has showered on us in all wisdom and insight. He has let us know the mystery of his purpose, according to his good pleasure which he determined beforehand in Christ, for him to act upon when the times had run their course: that he would bring everything together under Christ, as head, everything in the heavens and everything on earth.

Reflection

You made us for this, Holy One, to be gathered together into one blessed unity with you whose name is blessed. You did it because it brings you pleasure. You take delight in sharing the substance of your life, your love, your joy and beauty.

This is not a new plan, not an afterthought. You did not think it up as a way to fix the world after the fateful fruit was picked in Eden and the powers of fear, hatred, and evil spoiled the beauty you had made.

From the beginning--no, earlier--before the beginning, before the first spring breathed beauty on our flesh, before first flower awakened us to wonder, before sunlight exploded into a spectrum of color behind the first white cloud, before the first rainbow, before … when there was only darkness and the impenetrable mystery of who you are, already your holy plan was in place, and you were bringing it together.

All things, including me, were destined to be joined with Christ, sharing his intimacy with you. All that is was destined to be gathered together into one great unity, sharing the love you are.

So even now, every taste of the loving unity we know in our flesh is a taste of eternity, a gift of the future into which you are gathering us, so that we laugh with delight, bathed in the love you are.

Pr. David L. Miller

Monday March 24, 2014

Today’s text

Ephesians 1:3-6

Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ. Thus he chose us in Christ before the world was made to be holy and faultless before him in love, marking us out for himself beforehand, to be adopted sons, through Jesus Christ. Such was his purpose and good pleasure, to the praise of the glory of his grace, his free gift to us in the Beloved.

 Reflection

Open hands. I stand at the table with hands open above gifts of bread and wine, open to welcome the congregation, open in blessing, … open to you, Holy One.

But are these hands really mine? Are they not your hands open to welcome and bless we who are empty and in need the fullness of a love to that heals every doubt, fear and wound of our hearts?

Your hands are always open to give us with everything that is in you,--everything, all the blessings of heaven that we might know the love you are and know ourselves as your beloved.

Your hands say it all: I am wanted, chosen, forgiven, known and treasured since before the dawn of time. And you fill me with the joy of knowing this with all my heart because it brings you pleasure. Could it be that I am your delight?

You tell me it is so. Little wonder sometimes I wake in the middle of the night when sleep flees and repeat your name over and over.

“Blessed,” I name you. “Blessed are you, for you are the love that fills my heart with the blessings of eternity. You stir my mid-night prayer that I might know your open hands and praise the glory of your grace.”

Pr. David L. Miller