God's Great Power

Let's talk. Here are some thoughts on this coming Sunday's second lesson. We're celebrating All Saints Sunday. This was sent out to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church. What are your thoughts?

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:11-23

¹¹In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, ¹²so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. ¹³In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; ¹⁴this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.

  ¹⁵I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason ¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. ¹⁷I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, ¹⁸so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, ¹⁹and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. ²⁰God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. ²²And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, ²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Why in the world should we care about All Saints’ Sunday? After all, aren’t saints just those especially chosen and named as such by the church? No. Saints are all the baptized believers in Jesus Christ—those who have joined the church triumphant before us and those still living today.

Maybe we don’t feel much like saints. We struggle with so many things in our lives that we think probably displease God. But just look again at the above passage. I bolded the word “power,” which is mentioned four times in just three verses, so it’s pretty important.

We cannot live the kind of life God has called us to as his followers. However, Paul prays that we would know “the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power” (v. 19). This power is so strong that it was at work in Jesus’ resurrection, ascension and exaltation. Finally, Jesus was exalted above “all rule and authority and power and dominion” (v. 21).

God gave the saints before us the power to do what God wanted them to do and to live as God wanted them to live. God does the same for us today. All we have to do is be what God has said we already are, beloved children and saints. Let’s live like it!

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