We will continue with the Ephesians text from yesterdays devotion.
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us...he has made known to us...to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth." (Ephesians 1:7-10)
You can't miss that to gather up all things in him. Paul has poetically sailed beyond the merely personal, "Jesus died for my sins," or "I know that I will be in heaven." God's desire, in Jesus Christ, is akin to God's cosmic desire in Genesis 1 and 2. God is still busy bringing worlds into being that were not. The restless Creator became the relentless Redeemer. The Redeemer is the same fabricator of the chaos whom we met as Creator. The work of the cosmic Christ is cosmic salvation.
I find it interesting that the Creation story is often used to draw boundaries. Willimon takes from that marvelous creative story the wide open power that is saving all. This God who brings all things into being and sets us into God's creative purpose is the God who is relentlessly chasing us all down so that we will enter the party and be fed with the bread of life that is eternally available and ready to provide us with all we need to live within the fullness of God's Reign. There is a part of me that wants to alter the name of our congregation (and I may as I refer to it "in house" and beyond) to Relentless Redeemer Lutheran Church (RRLC). Because our God is relentless in redeeming the world in all places and all times, so are we therefore to be a relentless cadre of people who will not stop bringing in all....for all are the beloved. And yet...what will relentless mean to the shaping of our life together? I think it is worth the adventure.
Connection: Be relentless in the redeeming adventure.
Wow. You never stop, O God. You are always for us and with us and loving us and pulling us on board this boat of your Reign that is meant to sail to all people in all times and places. Grant us courage to push off and begin again on these travels in grace. Amen.
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