Jesus, the name above all names. He is the only way to reconciliation with the Father. In Him and through Him alone is salvation.
Jesus came and will come again to His chosen as their Messiah King. He is the fulfillment of the promises given to the forefathers.
Paul came to share the mystery given to him by Jesus after His resurrection that the Gentiles are joint heirs of those same promises in Christ. This was the gift of God to all those who believe in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He gave up His life for the sins of the world. Carla
Ephesians 3:1-7 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.
The stewardship of God’s grace to me for you refers to Paul’s calling as apostle to the Gentiles—one of God’s chosen agents to preach the gospel to non-Jewish people (Romans 1:5; 15:15–16; Galatians 2:9). Paul affirms that he received God’s plan of salvation directly from God (Acts 9:1–7; Galatians 1:11–12).
The Greek word used here, mystērion, for mystery refers in this context to God’s plan of salvation through Christ (Ephesians 3:4). Paul explains this mystery of Christ phrase in verse 6: Through Christ’s death and resurrection, God has invited Gentiles (non-Jews) to join His people—expanding the scope of His salvation to include the entire world, not just Israel (Isaiah 49:6; Galatians 3:8). This stunning revelation is the heart of Paul’s gospel and missionary work.
As God’s chosen people, the Jews were heirs of the blessings promised to Abraham (Genesis 17:4–8; Romans 9:4–5). Through Christ, non-Jews also become heirs of God’s promise. Faithlife Study Bible
The dispensation (stewardship) that God gave Paul for the benefit of the Ephesians had previously been a mystery. Now God was revealing this mystery more fully in Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles. The mystery was that Jews and Gentiles were to have an equal status in the church, the body of Christ.
People who lived in the other ages, before Pentecost, had a great deal of knowledge about God and His grace, as the Old Testament demonstrates. However, that knowledge was not as all-embracing as the revelation that we receive in Christ Jesus. The Old Testament predicted that God’s grace would come to the Gentiles (Gentiles 12:3), but equality with the Jews in one body was a secret never before revealed. The NKJV Study Bible.
Colossians 1:23–27 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church…
Ephesians 3:8–10 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ…
Ephesians 1:9–10 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
Romans 16:25–26 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—
Ephesians 6:19–20 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak
Presence is what spills from one who is unafraid to be at home in their own skin, even with a sore heart. Or at the very least, one who has given up the need to impress or jump hoops for laurels.
You see, presence does not distinguish.
Or judge.
Presence just is.
Or mostly… just makes the coffee.
I liked this, from Rabbi Dr. Ariel Burger, “My mantra this year has been the Hebrew words, Lev Basar, which means ‘a heart of flesh,’ from the biblical verse, ‘I will take from you a heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.’ Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, ‘There's nothing as whole as a broken heart.’ In these traditions, you cultivate a broken heart which is very different from depression or sadness. It's the kind of vulnerability, openness, and acute sensitivity to your own suffering and the suffering of others that becomes an opportunity for connection.”
“The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt.” Frederick Buechner
Let us remember than many hearts are sore. People around us, people we know and love. So, this week... can I make you some coffee?
We make space to welcome.
We make space to offer comfort or reprieve or hope.
We make space to be sanctuary in a world of disquiet, disruption and misgiving. “Sabbath Moments” Terry Hershey
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