Ephesians: Take Three

Among the best elements of the The Message are Eugene Peterson's introductions to the various books of the Bible.


For Ephesians, he writes:

...[St Paul shows] how Jesus, the Messiah, is eternally and tirelessly bringing everything and everyone together. He also shows us that in addition to having this work done in and for us, we are participants in this most urgent work. Now that we know what is going on, that the energy of reconciliation is the dynamo at the heart of the universe, it is imperative that we join in vigorously and perseveringly, convinced that every detail in our lives contributes (or not) to what Paul describes as God's plan worked out by Christ, "a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth."


I couldn't agree more. Having read through Ephesians twice recently, I am left with a picture of Christ drawing us to him, and to each other. Why are we to be imitators of God, but that we should also extend his love for us to others?

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

--Ephesians 4:32-5:2

But Ephesians is so much more than that. If reconciliation is the framework, then the rest of Ephesians is the manual, the Reconciliation for Dummies or Complete Idiot's Guide to Loving One Another text. It begins by recalling the work of Christ in initiating the reconciliation, and ends with a description of the way the Spirit works in us to continue and effectively spread this reconciliation.


By the way, if the excerpt from Peterson's introduction above seems difficult to read at first, let me say that this is precisely how Peterson writes. Having read The Wisdom of Each Other and begun Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, I am beginning to realise that he has a knack for vivid imagery (e.g. dynamo), dynamic adverbs (vigorously and perseveringly) and long sentences. And yet, his writing comes across as conversational and not tedious.

To some extent, it borders on the impressionistic. In reading his introduction to Christ Plays, I could mow through a page in record time. His words are not like those of a Biblical commentary, in which the reader has to pause at almost every sentence to let the thoughts sink in. Rather, his is like an enjoyable romp through the page, leaving the reader with an overall view of a breathtaking landscape.

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It happens that, with so many entries, I'm beginning to lose track of when and where I typed certain things. So I've decided to put Google Search on my blog. (See sidebar on right.)

Thanks, Joan, for the HTML!