Words are fantastic tools for communication. But, sometimes our words fail us. When someone has done something unusually wonderful for us, "Thank...
In yesterday's reflection, I began considering Paul's prayer that we might know "the riches of [God's] glorious inheritance in his holy people."...
Periodically, I get emails proclaiming good news. I have received a glorious inheritance. Someone formerly unknown to me has died and left...
Hope is in short supply these days. In this morning's newspaper, I read about growing tensions in the Middle East and the...
In Ephesians 1:17-19, Paul prays that the recipients of his letter might know the hope that comes in response to God's calling. As we realize that God has called us to share in...
Today, we are in the first week of Advent, the Christian season of the year that helps us prepare for celebrating the...
In recent reflections, we have been focusing on Paul's prayer in Ephesians 1:15-23. After giving thanks for the recipients of his letter, he prays that they would grow in their knowledge of God and...
Recently, we have focused on Paul's expressions of thanksgiving in Ephesians 1:16. I encouraged you to think of the days prior to Thanksgiving Day as a season for gratitude. Our reflections from...
As you may recall, I have suggested that we set aside the two weeks prior to Thanksgiving Day in the United States...
In English, we sometimes say "I'll be sure to remember you in prayer." This literally means "I will pray for you." But it also suggests that I will not forget to pray for...
In Ephesians 1:15-16, Paul tells the recipients of the letter that he gives thanks for them, in part because of their "love...
As we saw in Wednesday's reflection, faith is one of the essential elements of the Christian life, something you'd be sure to include if you were to summarize Christian living "in a nutshell." But...
Today is All Saints Day, a holy day recognized by the Catholic Church and, in various ways, by various Protestant denominations. Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate the Sunday of All Saints on...
The phrase "in a nutshell" means something like "in a very brief summary" or "in very few words." Some scholars trace the English use of this phrase to William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. In Act 2,...
About five years ago, I heard a phrase that I had never heard before: "earnest money." When...
These days, many things can pressure us to doubt the truth of the Gospel, the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ...
A few days ago, we began to consider how Ephesians 1:12 answers the question: Why do you exist? The succinct answer in this verse is: You exist for the praise of God's glory...
Why do you exist? Of course, there's a historical and biological answer to that question. You exist because you were conceived by your birth parents. You exist because your mother gave birth to you...
As we have seen, God's plan for the cosmos is to "bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ" (1:10). In the opening verses of Ephesians, this unity can...
I have spent the last three reflections focusing on the "mystery" of God's will, his plan "to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ" (1:10). Before I move...
