Our Sacred Inheritance
Ephesians 1:11-23
In 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, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In 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; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory. | I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers, 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, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may perceive what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God 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, far 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. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
__________
Introduction
I like to work with electronic gadgets, yet I have a soft spot for antiques inherited from another time. Perhaps that's why I enjoy shows such as The Repair shop, a British television show that takes heirlooms with sentimental value and often restores them using authentic techniques. While the modern devices in our pockets might capture snippets of precious moments in photos or videos, there is something special about holding or using an heirloom that evokes memories through the senses. Moreover, the inheritance we receive, whether through a family artifact or stories, helps shape our understanding of the world and ourselves.
As we recognize today as All Saints' Day Sunday, in what ways are we utilizing the inheritance of the saints who've come before us? In what ways are we offering our thanks to the spirit and memory of those who've died this past year? And in what ways are we giving thanks and putting to work the inheritance we received from God through Jesus, who died and rose again, bearing witness to God's great power?
How Do We Give Thanks?
A little Bible trivia for you this morning. The reading from Paul's letter to the Ephesians contains two of the longest sentences in the Bible. In translation, we break it up into digestible phrases, but the first half (until verse 14) is one sentence, and the other runs from verses 15 to 23. Paul breaks down the two key themes for our consideration in these two sentences, that being, of course, thanksgiving and action.
Let's take a closer look at the idea of thanksgiving as it is laid out in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Early I asked the question of how, concerning how we offer thanks in response to the inheritance we have received from God. That was a little hasty on my part because before we ask the question of how we need to ask ourselves why? Why do we offer thanks for the inheritance we have received from God? Why do we need to show gratitude as a response to a loss? Gratitude is a spiritual discipline like anything else in life that requires we set aside a portion of our egos in order to appreciate and cherish something bigger than ourselves.
Paul's emphasis on thanksgiving isn't something new to his theology. The whole arc of Paul's redemptive storytelling is founded on the work of God restoring creation through Jesus Christ. We are marked and sealed with a divine sign of love that could only be granted because God loves us so, not because we were deserving of such an inheritance. How could we be anything but grateful for such a gift that was undeserved? If we understand that this is the reason why we should be thankful for our inheritance, it is natural that we would strive to use it then in a way that is faithful to the will of God and those who came before us and laid the sure foundation.
How Do We Use Our Inheritance?
If we've established the importance of giving thanks, what then does it look like to use our inheritance as Paul lays out for us in the second half of our reading? 1.) I don't think our inheritance (our faith, memories, stories, physical goods received) is meant to sit on a shelf and never be used. 2.) I don't think our inheritance is something we place on a pedestal as something we look to as an ideal or something that we need to emulate. Instead, our inheritance is something that guides us, something we can use or draw upon to shape the course of our discipleship.
Again, going back to the show The Repair Shop, some of my favorite episodes are ones where the individuals say they will use it in their daily lives. Can you name things you have received and regularly use in your life? One example I can give is the vintage Gibson amplifier, which was my father's before he died, and the other is his faith. These are heirlooms I hold close to my heart for a number of reasons, the primary being that they continue to influence me today and shape my love for the inheritance I have received from God.
What good is it for us to have received blessings from the saints and God if we do nothing in return? What good is the inheritance of our faith if all we do is pray silently or read the Word of God alone but never take the opportunity to put our faith to work in public? What good is the inheritance of this building or memorial funds if all we ask is, "How do we serve ourselves?" This All Saints' Day Sunday as we mourn, as celebrate, and as we remember the lives of those we hold dear, let us give thanks, let us live in a way that honors them, and let the heirlooms they left behind be treasures that propel us into the future of God's good grace.
Building Alongside Saints
Speaking of giving and receiving, as we head into November, we find ourselves drawn to the theme of gratitude. And keeping that in mind, your Finance Committee and Session continue to discern how this community of faith can effectively live out its mission thanks to the gifts of saints past and present. But this community of faith will require more than money and physical resources if we are to continue. Throughout my three-and-a-half-year tenure, we've overcome many challenges, to which we've overcome. Yet as we look to the future, we have a building needing repair, volunteers who require a break, and a Session that could use a new set of eyes to help us glimpse the future of our work together.
So I am asking you today, is there something in your inherited chest that you could add to the legacy of our community of faith? Is there time in your week you can spare, visions you can share, or hands that care? Because as we hear Paul's words to be stewards of the inheritance each of us as individuals has received, we have a collective inheritance that is ours to steward as well. And we do so alongside the faithful saints who stand with the great cloud of witnesses.
Conclusion
The great inheritance of faith we have received from God is reflective of the inheritance we have received from loved ones we have lost this past year and years before. It is reflective of ourselves who have received without merit and respond in thanksgiving, adding our own story, our own memories, and our own faith. It reminds me of a poem by Cicely Fox Smith called "The Knitters."
In streets that are humming
With the city's stair . . .
Or where leaves fall rustling
Through the quiet air . . .
There are women knitting
Everywhere . . .Knitting and waiting
Through hours like years -
Not with loud grieving
Nor sighing nor tears -
In their hands the needles
Flash like spears.Every thread a sorrow,
Every strand a prayer -
('Oh, where sleeps my dear one?
Or how does he fare?')
There are women knitting
Everywhere . . .
Let us add a strand of grieving, a strand of prayer, and a strand of hope, creating a new precious heirloom that carries with it the saints past and present. Let our work contribute to the reconciling work of God, who will wipe every tear from our eyes and bring healing to the broken places as God's Spirit fills all and is in all. For the inheritance, we have received is ours to squander or use a bold and visionary blessing.