By the Grace of God
(Ephesians 1: 1-14)
There but for the grace of God, go I. You have no doubt heard someone say it at one time or another in response to them seeing someone in hopeless distress, or maybe you’ve even said it yourself. As a kid, I think the first time I heard someone say it was my own mother. I don’t remember the context, but I do remember her saying it, saying it on more than one occasion. And to me it always begged the question: So, by God’s grace that’s not you, what are you going to do about it? I guess for me, “there but for the Grace of God go I” precedes the follow up statement of: Somebody ought to do something.
It brings to mind a conversation I had had several years ago with a stranger whom I had engaged in a casual conversation which eventually got around to him asking me what I did for a living. When I told him I was the pastor at Community United Methodist Church he responded: “Oh, that’s the church that helps the homeless.” I’ll admit I was initially taken aback by what he said but it quickly set in that, yes, we are a church that helps the homeless and what a great reputation to have. But it isn’t primarily because we are a bunch of nice people. There are nice people all over the world doing nice things for others out of the goodness of their hearts who are not followers of Jesus Christ. It’s because of the grace of God that we’ve been saved and by the Spirit we are the living embodiment of Jesus Christ in all we do and say as his devoted servants. Trying to explain to people the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit is difficult at best if they aren’t ready to accept Jesus Christ and truly make that commitment to lead a changed life, a life that makes a difference where differences need to be made.
It’s the concept of grace that the Apostle Paul is writing about in the first chapter of his letter to the church in Ephesus. It’s important to understand that unlike the letters to Timothy that directly addressed the divisive issues plaguing the Ephesian church, this letter was a circular letter intended to be read, studied, and shared with other churches around the region which, 2,000 years later includes modern day churches struggling with the concept of grace and what to do with it.
After the customary greeting Paul gets right to it stating: Bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing that comes from heaven. He does this to set the tone for what is to come and to remind the reader of the context, God is the source of our blessings. He says: God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless in God’s presence before the creation of the world. God destined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ because of his love. Essentially, what Paul is saying is that we are not saved because we deserve it, but because God is gracious and freely gives salvation. We did nothing to influence God’s decision to save us, he saved us according to his plan. This, Paul continues, was according to his goodwill and plan and to honor his glorious grace that he has given to us freely through the Son whom he loves. What Paul is telling us is that God always planned to redeem people through Jesus’ sacrifice and that he predetermined that all who believe in Christ would be saved. The plan of salvation to form a group of believers was foreordained, but the choice of individual believers to affirm or reject God was not. Paul says that we have been ransomed through the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ, and we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace, which he poured over us with wisdom and understanding. Through his grace, God has revealed his hidden design to us, which is according to his goodwill and the plan that he intended to accomplish through his Son. He says: This is what God planned for the climax of all times, to bring all things together in Christ, the things in heaven along with the things on earth. The point being made here is that we were not predestined to believe, but rather, as believers, God had, and has, a wonderful design for those who have come before us, us and those who will follow, in Christ as part of God’s overall purpose to unite the whole of creation under the singular headship of Christ.
Well, that sounds pretty aspirational but how do we as flawed human beings get there? It would seem much easier for God to just decree it and be done with it, but God doesn’t work that way. His plan all along was for us, his elect in Christ to be the boots on the ground, the hearts and hands that get it done. I believe we get there the same way the disciples and early believers got there. First, they made their profession of faith in Christ Jesus and then, as Jesus instructed them, they were to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit who would tell them what to do. Once they were filled with the Spirit, they would go out into the mission field and do as Jesus would have them do, spreading the Word of God, offering salvation to the lost, and showing mercy to the suffering in the form of an unselfish servant. With the Spirit as their guide, advocate, and counselor they would begin doing what was necessary to restore God’s creation as He intended.
So, what does that have to do with us? Well, the Apostle understood that the faithful believers necessarily formed a community and that Christian growth occurred primarily in that context. And that, I firmly believe, is what we have here at Community United Methodist Church. We have a community of faithful believers who, together, grow in our Christian Walk as we endeavor to put the teachings of Jesus Christ into action right here in our own community. We have accepted Christ as our Savior and have waited upon the Holy Spirit to come to us, to guide us, advise us, lead us in what needs to be done right here and now and wherever there is a need we can meet. Yeah, great Scott, we got it so what’s your point? We’re doing all we can.
The point is that there’s a lot that goes into running a modern church and being a light in the darkness and, sadly, that takes some of your hard-earned money. Yes, your prayers, time, and talents are first and foremost in our movement to bring peace and grace to the world around us but giving out of your abundance helps us keep the doors open and the heat on especially when we are seeing more and more need in and around our community and world. Not to worry, we have been consistently operating in the black and the Administrative Board has been very good stewards of your money and facilities. We have been very creative in creating other revenue streams that have enabled us to grow in Word and Deed as we work to be the church God needs in this community. For example, we rent our space out to other organizations and have divided our parsonage into two rental units generating over forty thousand extra dollars a year which goes into our operating expenses.
The good news is that your giving what you can has been generous and consistent over the years, including during the pandemic, and continues to grow as we grow. So I say all of this to let you know that it is almost that time of the year when we will begin our pledge drive, sending out letters and pledge forms for you to fill out and return so we can plan our budget for 2026 accordingly. The pledge is just that, a pledge, and we know that sometimes unexpected expenses come up for you during the year and must be met. We understand that as it has happened in the past and we manage just fine. What we’re asking is that between now and when you receive your pledge card that you give it some serious prayer in determining how much you can give to support your church in our mission to be disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
I
So, in closing, Paul said: We have also received an inheritance in Christ. We were destined by the plan of God, who accomplishes everything according to his design. He told the early believers in the Ephesian church that they were called to be an honor to God’s glory because they were the first to hope in Christ. They heard the word of truth in Christ which was the good news of their salvation. The same applies to us today as we too have received the same inheritance in Christ and just like them, we are destined by the plan of God to accomplish his will and his way. And just like the early believers we have been gifted the Holy Spirit that guides us so that by the grace of God we can be an integral part of that plan.
Let us pray.
I am weak and I need thy strength and power to help me over my weakest hour. Help me through the darkness thy face to see, lead me, O Lord, lead me. Yes, gracious and loving God, how we pray that you step in and lead us when we are lost and have gone astray. It is because of our weakness that we find our strength in you, and we pray that you will keep us mindful of that weakness as we endeavor to do your work and your will in helping others through their weaknesses and times of distress, times when they feel lost and are crying out for someone to lead them. By your grace we are saved and by your Spirit show us the ways in which we can help heal your creation. This we pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
By the Grace of God
We are not saved because we deserve it, but because God is gracious and freely gives salvation.