Reflection: "Living a Thankful Life"If I asked you “How’s your walk going today?” you may look at me strangely and remind me that, in fact, you don’t actually go for a COViD-lockdown walk every day - maybe only 2 or 3 times a week.
We normally think of walks as a means of perambulation – a way to move ourselves from one place to another. Our walking is something that develops quite early on in our lives, somewhere around the age of 1. However, there’s another sense in which this word is used. it can also refer to a person's journey through life. That is, your walk can be described as what you do with your life and how you live it. In the book of Ephesians, Paul uses the word "walk" 6 times. Each time he does, he uses it in the sense of one's conduct or manner of living their life. He’s writing to these Ephesian believers to show them how they should live their lives as they pass through this world as pilgrims and strangers. Perhaps not surprisingly, what Paul told these believers over 2,000 years ago, is still valid for us, in our world, today. Let's take a few minutes to look into these verses and learn how to “Walk Like an Ephesian”. (vague comical reference to a 1986 song by the Bangles: “Walk Like an Egyptian). But seriously, what would it have been like to walk in the footsteps of an Ephesian Christian? In the first century, Ephesus was a major trading port in Asia Minor (that we now know as western Turkey) and it was a mixture of peoples from all major trading nations, who each brought with them their own religious ideas. The largest temple in Ephesus was dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis (also known by the Romans as Diana). In the time of Paul’s visits, the temple generated huge revenues from the sales of idols of the goddess. The building was so large that it was, in its time, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The fact Paul even managed to get a foothold in such a city and establish a Christian church there, was a testament to his ability as an orator and the power of the Holy Spirit that moved within him. The local worshippers of Artemis (or, more probably, those who made money in the temple) were totally against the message that Paul preached regarding this new Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, and how there could be only ONE god, YHWH, not the plethora of gods that the pagans were worshipping. So, Paul’s small (but growing) band of Christians were not popular with the non-Christians and Paul saw it necessary to write to them, reminding them how they needed to live their lives differently, now that they had decided to follow Christ. Earlier in the 5th chapter of Ephesians, Paul tells them that, that to be worthy of their “walk”, they must exhibit three characteristics. 1) They must walk in love 2) They must walk as light and 3) They must walk as wise ones By exhibiting these 3 traits, people will be emulating how Jesus behaved when he was here on earth. Paul emphasises that should they fail to do these things, they’ll be living their lives as the evil ones, drunkards, etc. He reminds them that the world has perverted the meaning of the word “love” and seems to take pleasure in living in darkness, stumbling around aimlessly like drunken, debauched fools. Sounds a bit like the description of the disciples on that Pentecost morning, when the people thought that the disciples were a bit tipsy on wine, whereas, in fact, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul had already had to have very stern words with the new Christians in Corinth, who had been getting drunk at the communion table, so he was quite touchy regarding this topic. Instead of filling themselves with wine, Paul suggests to the people of Ephesus that they fill their lives with the spirit of Christ - singing psalms and making melodies to the Lord in their hearts - and always giving thanks to God the Father through his son, Jesus. In other words, being thankful to God for everything that happens in their lives. Just because we decide to follow Christ doesn’t mean that our lives will always be a bed of roses, or that we won’t be troubled from time to time. But that doesn’t mean that we should not always give thanks to God. Remember, everything we have is a gift from him and he is always looking out for us. So, getting back to my theme, how do you think your life’s walk is going? Have you seen ways that you could make it better? Are there things that need to be fixed? Even ones needing attention this very day? If so, you’re in luck, because Jesus is in the business of giving spiritual tune-ups to his flock. In our reading from John’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that he is the bread of eternal life and that any other type of sustenance will only be of a transitory nature. To get the sort of nourishment we need for our life’s walk, we need to remember the passage from John, feed on Jesus and be thankful that he loves us so much. So, by putting our trust in him and living our lives in the manner he has shown, he’ll work with us to ensure that our life’s walk is a spiritual walk with a God. And there can’t be a better one than that, can there? Vaya con Dios (in Spanish, walk, or go, with God) Pastor Rick “God is with us, so go out into the world with certainty. Live with gratitude, Love God’s people, Listen to Wisdom and Act with kindness. Make good use of every opportunity you have and delight in it the moment, For God is there before us. The Peace of God be with us all.” Amen
1 Comment
Beryl
16/8/2021 09:01:11 am
How thankful I am to know that God is with us. I must trust Him, walk in His footsteps, live life with Him. Seek His Wisdom and Guidance.
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