We Pray to the Lord of the Harvest that
Everyone’s Roots Would Grow Down into God’s Love
Ephesians 3:14-21

†  Iesou, Huios, Soter †

 ¹⁶ I pray (for you as Paul did for his people) that from his (God’s) glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. ¹⁷ Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong!

The Prayer

Anyone notice I replaced the usual blessing, “May the grace of God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ, with the prayer of Paul for the church in Ephesus?

Good, well at least for some of you…

The blessing, taken from the beginning of each of Paul’s epistles, and this prayer get ot the same point—desires the same growth in each of you—that results with you being at home with Jesus sharing in your life, being “at home” with you.

This is why we are here this morning, this idea that you trust in Jesus, and that your entire life finds its roots, its foundation, its life, deeply in Christ Jesus. This is why we have services and Bible studies in English, Mandarin and Tagalog. It is why we have a preschool and school age care.

To help people’s roots, their heart and soul, grow deep into God’s love.

There to find comfort, peace, and the inner strength we need.

It is the prayer a pastor should, no must pray for his people.

It is the way to evaluate a pastor as well, does he help you experience that love of God, does He help you explore the width, the length, the height and depth of it, and even if you can’t explain it.. do you know it.

Do We Not Understand? He’s home

In the gospel reading this morning, after seeing Jesus feed 5000 families, and calming an incredible storm after taking a walk across a sea, the apostles are confused. It says there, “⁵² for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.”

It is amazing to me, as we talked about yesterday, that the apostles didn’t understand the reason for the miracles, that they didn’t understand the healings, or even the plain teaching. In this case, three miracles in what 12-15 hours? Feeding of thousands, Jesus taking a stroll across a storm maddened lake, and calming it with a word….

But what they didn’t understand was why… they didn’t intimately know the purpose of this work of God they witnessed. Is it just about Jesus being that powerful, about his exerting his Lordship, about Him proving He was God Almighty?

I can understand the world not getting it, about them seeing nothing special about the altar, about them making fun of what they do not understand. But when the church doesn’t, it scares me.

There is only one reason for all the ministry God does in our lives, it was what Paul wanted them to know, to explore every dimension of, to experience fully, even it is was beyond our ability to understand.

Intimately know, to experience!

What the apostles needed to know was the absolute love of God for them, a love that compelled Jesus to feed thousands, heal people, teach and shepherd them. It was His love that didn’t leave them in that storm, but calmed them with the words, “do not be afraid.” And it is this love that drove Paul’s most pastoral prayer!

Hear again what Paul wants the outcome of the prayer to be,

¹⁸ And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. ¹⁹ May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

As I talked over the passage with William, who is preaching it for the Chinese congregation, I kept on going at the idea that we need to fully explore God’s love—and Saturday—I came up with the idea of a child at their first visit to an amusement park, as every ride is amazing experience and a new favorite to talk about over and over and over again.

Not to lecture about how steep the drops are, or what the g force the rollar coaster pulls, or the angle of descent, but the sheer joy of something you so amazing, you really want to get back in line for, or just stay on the ride!.

We saw that at the school on Friday, as a student and a mom realized it was the last day, and bought the staff lunch, and then, after the student was picked up at 12:30, came back at 4 to get a picture with Elizabeth and Lorena!

That’s the love of God, once you experienced it, once you realize it never ends, and you can’t escape it, you want to just stay in the midst of the experience.

Even if we can’t explain it… maybe especially because we can’t explain it.

We simply know it…

I have to admit, while I love to talk about God’s love, the task of ensuring you experience it, in every service is more than daunting, it is terrifying. If it were just up to the sermon, I couldn’t do it..

You experienced the love of God when you heard you were forgiven.

You will experience it, when you are told by me, and everyone else here – that God’s peace is with you always.

And you will experience it, as you hear that Christ’s body was broken and His blood was shed “for you”! You will experience it as Bob and I serve you.

That’s why after saying the words of institution, I hold up the plate and the chalice a moment longer, too give us a chance to let the words sink in

This is my body…. This is my blood… and the words “for you!”

It is why to prepare we sing the Agnus Dei – here is the Lamb of God …. Come and eat! You are welcome here!

For the Lord is making His home with you… so stretch out, and grow your roots deep into His love.

AMEN!