January 6, Communion Sunday. Epiphany of Our Lord

Lesson: Ephesians 3.1-12

Sermon Title: Good News

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INTRODUCTION:

New Year's Dinner (1)

As in many homes on New Year's Day, Pastor Tim and his wife faced the annual conflict of which was more important-the football games on television, or the dinner itself. To keep peace, I ate dinner with the rest of the family, and even lingered for some pleasant after-dinner conversation before retiring to the family room to turn on the game.

Several minutes later, my wife came downstairs and graciously even brought with her a cold pop for me. She smiled, kissed me on the cheek and asked what the score was. I told her it was the end of the third quarter and that the score was still nothing to nothing.

"See?" she said, continuing to smile, "You didn't miss a thing."

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MAIN BODY:

  1. You didn't miss a thing.

    1. That depends.

    2. It depends on what you know about football.

Linus is watching a football game on television. "Go! Go! Go!," he yelled wildly. When the game was over, Linus jumped up and with all the excitement that could be contained in one panel of the comic strip, he rushed to Charlie Brown to share the news.

"What a comeback!" he yelled out. "The home team was behind six to nothing with only three seconds to play. They had the ball on their own one-yard line. The quarterback took the ball, faded back behind his own goal and threw a perfect pass to the left end who broke through four guys and ran in for a touchdown! The fans went wild! You should have seen them! And when they kicked the extra point, thousands of people ran onto the field laughing and screaming and rolling on the ground and hugging each other and everything!"

Charlie Brown turned to Linus and asked, "How did the other team feel?"

    1. What did the other team feel.

      1. We know the answer to that question.

      2. We know the feeling.

    2. We know, in the words of Jim McKay for ABC's Wide World of Sports:

Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport! The thrill of victory...and the agony of defeat! The human drama of athletic competition! This is ABC's Wide World of Sports!

      1. We know the thrill of victory.

      2. We know the agony of defeat.

  1. In the midst of the "bad news" we are looking for some "good news."

    1. I put together a little prayer for 2008.

I pray that you will have a prosperous New Year.
I pray that you will have a joy that knows no boundaries.
I pray that you will have a hope that endures in light, and even in the darkness
I pray that you will have a peace that sustain you in good times, and even in life's conflicts.
I pray that you will have a true love that lasts forever.

    1. The Good News is that all this is possible

    2. This is what the Apostle Paul is seeing to communicate to the believers in Ephesus.

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  1. If we break the passage in Ephesians into its component parts this is what we will find.

    1. Paul, a prisoner for the testimony of Jesus, declares his knowledge of what had been a mystery from all ages, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body with the Jews, vv. 1-6.

      1. 1This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--2for surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given me for you, 3and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, 4a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.

      2. 5In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

      3. In this case it is the Jews who hold the privileges and blessings of God.

      4. The Gentiles do not know what is available.

      5. Paul reveals the good news to the Gentiles.

      6. It is a reminder to us of what we have acquired through our spiritual ancestors.

    2. Which doctrine he was made a minister, that he might declare the unsearchable riches of Christ, and make known to principalities and powers this eternal purpose of God, vv. 7-12

The Christmas Story (2)

A little boy returned from Sunday School with a new perspective on the Christmas story. He had learned all about the Wise Men from the East who brought gifts to the Baby Jesus.

He was so excited he just had to tell his parents: "I learned in Sunday School today all about the very first Christmas! There wasn't a Santa Claus way back then, so these three skinny guys on camels had to deliver all the toys!"

He continued: "And Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer with his nose so bright wasn't there yet, so they had to have this big spotlight in the sky to find their way around."

  1. The little boy has a sense of excitement and joy

  2. Paul has a similar sense of excitement and joy.

  1. 7Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power.

  2. 8Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

      1. Linda W. McFadden, "Letters from God," writes: (3)

The way you do your job, the volunteer time you give, the way you grieve your grief, the way you listen to someone's heartache, may be the only sermon some people will ever hear. The truth is that we simply don't know how or when the Spirit's imprint on our hearts will be read by somebody else.

A couple of years ago an NC State student became involved in a theatre group sponsored by one of the campus ministries. He wasn't a Christian, he just liked acting. The group performed during the Sunday morning services at several churches in the area. At one of the churches, Adam was captivated by the prayers of the people which included intercessions for people with AIDS. He was so moved that he decided to be baptized and join the church. That church was God's letter to Adam, which said, "There is suffering in the world, but God cares and we care."

Our lives truly lived are how the world knows God. Imperfect we may be, yet we are also the surface whereon the Spirit is writing God's love letters to the world.

      1. 11This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him. Ephesians 3:1 through Ephesians 3:12 (NRSVA)

    1. He desires them not to be discouraged on account of his tribulations, v. 13.

      1. 13I pray therefore that you may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory.

Business writer Rhonda Abrams once saw a handwritten note over a jar for tips: "If you fear change, leave it here."

"We all fear change," she writes in The Costco Connection (July 2004). Yet we all want to change--change our habits, our appearance, our income. Most of us want other people to change, including our spouses, our children, and our employees. Sometimes, no matter how much we want change, we just can't make it work.

Fortunately, God does not fear change. Scripture tells a story of non stop innovation as God reaches out in new ways to this world he loves so much.

    1. Paul prays that they might be filled with all the fullness of God, vv. 14-19.

      1. 14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.

      2. 16I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit,

      3. 17...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith,

      4. as you are being rooted and grounded in love.

      5. 18I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

    2. He concludes with a doxology, vv. 20, 21.

      1. 20Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,

      2. 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

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CONCLUSION:

  1. There is a proverb about a spiritual master who spoke at a public meeting. (4)

    1. All questions at the public meeting that day were about life beyond the grave.

      1. The Master only laughed and did not give a single answer.

      2. To his disciples, who demanded to know the reason for his evasiveness, he later said, "Have you observed that it is precisely those who do not know what to do with this life who want another that will last forever?"

    2. "But is there life after death or is there not?" persisted a disciple.

    3. "Is there life before death? That is the question!" said the Master enigmatically.

      1. Living before death will require of us an acceptance of our neighbors.

      2. Living before death will require of us an awareness of our links with all living things.

      3. Living before death will require of us an appreciation for each moment and for all the wonders of creation that conspired together to give this moment to us.

  2. The mystery of Paul is that when we see that we are all one body, then we are freed to live now, before death.

  3. This is the good news.

Amen

1. Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke! You Make Me Laugh [You_Make_Me_Laugh@crosswalkmail.com]

2. Mikey's Funnies [funnies-owner@lists.MikeysFunnies.com]

3. Linda W. McFadden, "Letters from God," February 27, 2000, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church Web Site, Pullen.org.

4. Bryan Travis Hooper, "Mysterious inclusion," January 5, 2003, Washington Square United Methodist Church Web Site, wsumc.org.

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