Ephesians 5:1–2

Ephesians 5:1-2 

English Standard Version 

  Every trip through the airport involves a walk by Auntie Anne's pretzels, where the aroma of sugar covered pretzels wafts across the concourse and always smells amazing.  I don't know that I've ever actually had one, but the smell always brings joy.  

  Paul talks about Christ's death as a fragrant offering, and I think of it the same way.  Christ dying on the cross is meant to waft around the community, bringing joy to those who were trapped in sin because they see the depth of God's love for them.  It's strange that it would be death on a cross that would bring joy, but such is the love of God -- it will pay any price to redeem you from sin and despair.  So the more we contemplate that, the more we are pushed to love one another, and so we then walk in love because of the great love with which Christ has loved us.  The offering of Christ moves around the world, touching hearts, changing lives, and pointing us towards the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 4:31–32

Ephesians 4:31-32

English Standard Version 

  Most of us have boxes that we've moved from place to place and still haven't unpacked.  There is a weight there that we barely notice -- it just blends into the background.  

  Bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander can do the same -- we carry them for so long that they become a part of us, and we don't notice the way they weigh down the soul.  When I run for President, maybe this will be my slogan -- imagine how much more at peace we'd be as a country if we could set down our anger and malice and wrath and be kind to one another, rather than react out of fear or bitterness that we've been carrying around for years.  If we realized the incredible gift of forgiveness that we didn't deserve and thought about how that should shape our interactions with others.  Think about how that could change a family, a community, a country!  Who can you start with?

Ephesians 4:28–30

Ephesians 4:28-30 

English Standard Version 

  I think about the passage in Matthew where Jesus tells us that the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart.  It's like an overflow of a dam -- our words reflect what is within us.  The more grace and wisdom we take in from God, the more we reflect that back to the world, and in the same way, when we do not invest in our relationship with God, it's easy to be less gracious to others, because when we understand the grace God has extended to us and root ourselves in this daily, we're more likely to be gracious to others.  

  This is why Paul is telling the Ephesians that the thief should no longer steal -- if he continues to steal after converting to Christianity, it's evidence that his conversion isn't very deep.  In the same way, we're called to treat one another in a way that reflects the work the Holy Spirit is doing in our own lives, thus reflecting the grace of God to the world.

Ephesians 4:25-27

Ephesians 4:25-27 

English Standard Version

  Paul doesn't tell us not to get angry.  There are plenty of things worth getting angry about.  I was reading an article the other day about the number of people in abject poverty due to violent conflicts in Africa that have persisted for years.  It was heartbreaking... and worth getting angry about.  We should get angry about suffering and injustice in the world.

  What Paul warns us about is letting anger linger in our souls, because it starts to change us.  If we let the anger be the voice that persists over years, it can drown out every other voice.  Paul is telling us to watch out for anger, to deal with it quickly, and therefore to ensure that anger doesn't remain the guiding force in our lives.  Let the things in the world that make us angry help us decide how to act, but then we can set aside the anger and move forward in love.