Hearts, Heads, Hands. Ephesians 3:14-21. 07/07/2024.
Hearts, Heads, Hands
Ephesians 3:14-21
Rev. Rhonda Blevins
July 7, 2024
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
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The past couple of Sundays, I’ve called to mind the idea that we, here at Chapel, come from many different denominations, as it should be at an interdenominational congregation. Thinking about all the beautiful differences between denominations reminded me of a denominational take on an old joke:
· How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb? At least 15. One to change the light bulb, and three committees to approve the change.
· Episcopalians? Eight. One to call the electrician, and seven to say how much they liked the old bulb better.
· Unitarians? We choose not to make a statement either in favor for or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey, you have found that light bulbs work for you, that is fine. You are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your personal relationship with your light bulb, and present it at our annual light bulb service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, three-way, long-life and LED, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.
· Charismatics? One, since his hands are in the air anyway.
· Methodists? Undetermined. Whether your light is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved -- you can be a light bulb, turnip bulb, or tulip bulb. Church-wide lighting service will be next week. Bring a bulb of your choice and a covered dish.
· Presbyterians? None. Lights will go on and off at predestined times.
· Lutherans? CHANGE?????
· Interdenominationalists? None. We don’t want to make the bulb feel unwanted or uncomfortable.
Despite the many different ways we might change a lightbulb, one thing remains the same: all lightbulbs require power to shine.
The Apostle Paul had some things to say about power to his friends at Ephesus. Before I get into that, let’s review where we’ve been in our journey through the book of Ephesus:
Week 1, Chapter 1: In week 1, Paul offered a “blueprint” for growth, and introduced several themes that he would tackle more fully later on in his letter to the Ephesians: hope, blessings, and power.
Week 2, Chapter 2: In week two, we explored the concept of grace. We read together Paul teaching that “by grace are you saved through faith.” We even sang, “Grace Alone.”
Week 3, Chapter 2 (continued): Last week, week three, we studied how Paul addressed the disunity in the Ephesian church. He compared the church to God’s Temple, suggesting we are “Built Together.” For the church at Ephesus, the big revelation was that God used both Jews and Gentiles to build this metaphorical Temple.
Now that Paul has addressed this problem—the disunity between Jews and Gentiles in the church at Ephesus—he circles back around to one of the themes he introduced in Chapter 1—the notion of God’s power. In Chapter 3, we get to eavesdrop on a prayer that Paul is praying for them—out beyond the disunity they’re currently facing, Paul prays that God: “may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit.” Then he articulates three particular ways in which God’s power works in the lives of each person of faith.
Before we dive into those three ways God’s power works in us, let’s consider the nature of power. Sometimes we think of energy and power as synonyms, but they’re not. Energy is the ability to cause change; power is the rate energy is used. Energy is potential power; power is actualized energy. Let me illustrate.
Take this coffee mug. It’s holding a small amount of water. This pitcher, on the other hand, is holding a lot more water. Which container holds more energy? The pitcher! But if I pour out the water from the pitcher at a trickle while emptying the coffee mug all at once, which one is displaying more power? The coffee mug!
Energy is potential power; power is actualized energy.
And what is Paul praying for his friends in Ephesus? Not for their potential, but for their power! He knows there’s energy there in that church; he knows there’s potential. He wants to see all of that potential actualized. He’s praying that they might claim the power they have through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit!
How does that power manifest? Paul names three ways. God’s power works in us through our being, our knowing, and our doing. Or to anthropomorphize this idea, God’s power works in us through our hearts, our heads, and our hands. Let’s look at each one together.
Paul prays: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.” In Paul’s day, the heart was believed to be the center of a person’s consciousness and inner life. When we use the word “heart” as a metaphor today, we limit the idea to our emotional life. In Paul’s day, the word “heart” was so much bigger, to include reasoning, passion, and courage. Paul names that, if Christ is dwelling in our hearts, that we “are being rooted and grounded in love.” So the power that Paul is talking about isn’t the power of fear. It isn’t the power of hate. It’s the power of love.
So the first form of power Paul prays for his friends is “heart” power—the power of our inmost being to be rooted and grounded in love. Which brings me to a question for you to ask yourself if you want to grow in faith:
Is there anything in me that is not rooted and grounded in love?
If you ask that question, and the Holy Spirit reveals some shadow where hate and/or fear remains, then the work is to allow the power of Christ—the very power of love—to root that hate and fear out
The second type of power Paul prays for his friend is “head” power—the power of knowing. Here’s what he prayed: “That you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.” I find this verse fascinating. Paul talks about “breadth”—our more common word is “width.” That’s pretty easy to understand. He names “length”—again, easy to grasp. “Height”—easy. But then he adds “depth.” At first blush, that seems like a synonym for “width” or “breadth.” Not so fast! We’ve already got three dimensions with “breadth,” “length,” and “height.” When Paul adds “depth,” he’s adding a fourth dimension to our understanding. Paul prays not for a 3D understanding of God’s love, but a 4D understanding—an understanding that “surpasses knowledge.”
Too many Christians know about God rather than truly knowing God. Paul prays that the church would grow beyond the knowledge about God into the mysteries of the faith—the deep waters of “the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.” This is beyond our normal capacity to see and understand. It requires help from the spiritual realm. This brings me to a second question for you to ponder:
Am I leaning into mystery and growing in the awareness of the incomprehensible love of God?
The third type of power that Paul prays for his friends is “hand” or “doing” power—the power to do the work to which Christ calls us. Here’s how he prayed for this “doing” power:
“Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine.”
It seems to me that many Christians in this day and time are full of untapped potential, like a pitcher of water pouring out a trickle instead of unleashing the power of a deluge it could create.
In a book by Esther Burroughs, she recounts the time when she was feeling down in the dumps. Her ministry seemed fruitless, she had family members who were struggling, and she was complaining to a colleague at work. Her colleague said, “Esther, you’re a Christian, right?” Esther thought it was a ridiculous question, given that she was a Christian minister. She replied, “Yes, of course.” Her colleague said, “That means that you’ve got the Holy Spirit in you, right?” Esther, again, agreed. “Yes, of course.” Her friend continued: “If you’re a Christian, and if the Holy Spirit is in you, then ain’t you got power?”
When we live life in our own strength and in our own power, we will certainly find ourselves lacking power and strength for the inevitable challenges that come our way. If, on the other hand, we trust in God’s power and might, we will find deep peace and true resilience. It doesn’t mean everything will go our way. But we will weather the storm knowing that Christ is in the boat with us, and nothing else matters.
Here's my third question for you to ask yourself in the days ahead:
Am I relying on God’s power, or am I trying to do life in my own power or strength?
God’s power is available to us in three forms: being or heart power, knowing or head power, and doing or hand power. Which of these three forms of power have you experienced in your life? Which of these manifestations of power do you most need to claim today?
God’s power is one of the great gifts of the faith. This notion of power is so important in the New Testament that it’s used 120 times. Perhaps the best known of these instances is in Acts 1:8, when the resurrected Jesus is telling his followers what will happen:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Are you a Christian? Does the Holy Spirit live in you? If you’re a Christian, and the Holy Spirit lives in you, then ain’t you got power?
Final thought: have you ever bought a toy for a child that required batteries, and forgot to include the batteries? The child opens the gift and gets very excited, and you get to witness, first-hand, the child’s disappointment when they realize that the toy will not work without the batteries.
Too many of us are walking around like a toy without batteries! We have this purpose, this potential, but we act powerless to love, to understand, to perform the work that God has for us to do.
Into that illusion of powerlessness, I pray like Paul, that God:
“May grant that you may be strengthened in your
inner being with power through his Spirit.”
Oh God, let it be so! Amen.