January 7, 2025

Today's Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14

Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 1:1-14, 22-28; Habakkuk 1:1-3:19; Romans 1:1-17

“...In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ…” (Ephesians 1:4b-5a)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Have you ever heard an excited child talk about a favorite gift? They are so filled with joy that they can hardly contain it! They babble with a bubbling buzz, bursting on and on about their treasure. Or have you heard a little one pray? Again, they babble with a bubbling buzz, praising God for each and everything that is dear (or merely near) to them: Grandpa and Grandma, Mom and Dad, siblings, toys, even the ceiling that keeps rain off their heads. They form a litany of praise and thanksgiving. St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians bursts on and on with a similar litany of praises. In English, verses 3-14 are split into several sentences, each still quite long. In the Greek, however, the sentence divisions are not so clear; one might read verses 3-14 as a single, continuous sentence– totaling up to 202 Greek words! That is the longest sentence in all of Scripture. St. Paul babbles with a bubbling buzz, like an excited child or a praying child. The truth is, he is both: he is a child of God. The Father predestined St. Paul for adoption through the blood of Jesus Christ. Upon the Cross, the sins of all were forgiven. In Holy Baptism, St. Paul received the inheritance due to the Son of God.

What was true for St. Paul then remains true for you today. You also have been predestined for adoption into the household of God. Your sins have been forgiven. You have been raised to new life. If this alone were not enough to have you babbling with a bubbling buzz about His love, consider also the litany of Gifts God the Father provides for you: an eternal family through His only-begotten Son, siblings bound together forever in His name, His blessed Sacraments to delight in, and –yes– even the ceiling which keeps rain off your head. God has provided you with everything you need to support your body and life. For this, it is your duty to thank, praise, serve and obey Him. This is what St. Paul models for us in Ephesians. His praise is simultaneously profound and simple. Let the Triune God be praised for His work yesterday, today, tomorrow, and on and on into eternity!

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

All praise to God the Father be, All praise, eternal Son, to Thee. Alleluia, alleluia! Whom with the Spirit we adore Forever and forever more: Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! (LSB 816:3)

-Rev. Donald Stein, pastor of Saint Andrew Lutheran Church in Rockton, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.