Before I launched into the Interim Dean role at Rez, I asked two trusted mentors what we should preach on this fall. They gave the same answer—preach through the New Testament book of Ephesians. Here’s why I’m excited about their recommendation.
First, Ephesians contains a brief but potent guide for how to follow Jesus in a complex, largely “non-Christian” society. You can read the entire letter out loud in about eighteen minutes (and I suggest you try that!), but as one commentator states, “This letter summarizes what it means to be a Christian better than any other book in the Bible.”
Second, I love the emphasis on growing together as a church. I was worshiping in our sister church, City of Light in Aurora, when the Lord seemed to pop this verse into my mind:“we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Eph. 4:15). That’s it, I thought. That’s our theme for this year—growing up in every way into Jesus. All living things grow—children, plants, trees, even healthy organizations, and especially the church. Ephesians stresses developing in depth, character, and love more than mere numerical growth, but growth implies movement and maturation.
Third, this book has a grand and lovely vision for the church in its local and universal form. The city of Ephesus had a colossal temple–considered by many as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world– that was devoted to the worship of the goddess Artemis. But the church in Ephesians, despite all her struggles and flaws, is presented as the true and living temple where “we are being built into the dwelling place for God” (Eph. 2:22).
Fourth, Ephesians is a powerful manual on Christian “identity formation.” In other words, it tells us who we are “in Christ,” a phrase that occurs thirty times. So, this letter recenters our identity in Christ, strengthens us in our ongoing struggle against the powers of evil in our world, promotes unity in the Church–especially between Jews and Gentiles, and spurs us onward in transformation in and through Jesus.
I invite you to join us on this journey of growth as a church seeking to “build itself up in love” (Eph. 4:16).
Fr. Matt Woodley, Interim Dean
