Ephesians 1:3-14

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment- to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession- to the praise of his glory.

Let us pray,

God, source of all light, by your Word you give light to the soul. Pour out upon us the spirit of wisdom and understanding that, being taught by you in Holy Scripture, our hearts and minds may be opened to know the things that pertain to life and holiness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

It’s good to be back with you all this morning. I had a great vacation with my family. Great except that the condo we stayed at in South Carolina didn’t have Netflix. They did, however, have quite the collection of DVDs from the early 2000s. One night, after much discussion, we decided to all sit down and watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The first movie in the Harry Potter film series.

The movie starts with Harry receiving an invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But before he can begin his classes. Every young witch and wizard in his class must be sorted into a Hogwarts House by The Sorting Hat.

Their Hogwarts House is like their family in Hogwarts. They eat with their house, take classes as a house, and live in their house dorm. When they excel in their studies their house receives house points. When they break the rules, their house loses house points. There are four Hogwarts houses: Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin.

When the Sorting Hat is placed on Harry’s head, the hat wants to put Harry in Slytherin. But Harry has heard bad things about Slytherin. Dark witches and dark wizards belong to Slytherin. So Harry sits under the hat praying “not Slytherin, not Slytherin, not Slytherin…”

The Sorting Hat replies:

Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it’s all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that. Well, if you’re sure, better be GRIFFINDOR!”

At the end of this scene, I pointed at the TV and exclaimed, “The Sorting Hat is a metaphor for predestination!” My family was not amused. And I was not allowed to pick any more movies for the rest of vacation. 

Our Scripture passage for this morning is from a letter to the church in Ephesus. It was probably written by a loyal disciple of Paul. Fifteen to twenty-five years after Paul’s death. Paul founded the church in Ephesus. The church in Ephesus was a launching pad for churches in Asia. So it really mattered that they figured out how to be church. Because other churches in the area looked up to their example.

And like other letters written to early Christian churches, this letter offers advice on how a new church might live together despite their differences. What makes Ephesians different than other epistles. Is that it suggests that God’s predestination, or God’s election, actually helps us live with difference. 

Even amongst Presbyterians, we don’t love to talk about predestination. We don’t love the idea that God elects, or God chooses, some for salvation, and some for damnation. I think we don’t love this idea because our brains get stuck on the seemingly randomness of God. Why does God choose some for salvation and not others?

This morning I invite you to lay aside any concern you have about the logic of God. Because we will never fully understand why God acts the way God acts because God is God, and we are not. Instead, think of election as grace God bestows on believers. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will (Ephesians 1:4) SO THAT believers might spend their lives living in community and worshipping God forever. Or, as the author writes, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:12)

I think the other reason we don’t love the idea of predestination is because we think it takes away our free will. If God chose some for salvation and some for damnation, then why choose to act right? Because if I am not in control of my future, why would I inconvenience myself in the present?

And this is where I think the Sorting Hat example is helpful.

As human beings, we have no control over who God elects and who God does not. Just like young witches and wizards have no control over whether or not they get a letter to attend Hogwarts or not. But once a person has chosen to be a Christian. Once a young witch or wizard chooses to go to Hogwarts. We get to control how we’re going to follow Jesus in our everyday lives. Just as a young witch or wizard has some say in what house they end up in.

Since we can’t control if we’re part of the elect or not, how we live out our faith matters because it’s the only thing we can control. Harry didn’t choose to be born a wizard. But he does get to choose who he surrounds himself with as he trains to become the best wizard he can be. When we meet Jesus, we will have to account for our choices. Because it is our choices that bear witness to our relationship with the God we worship.

We worship a God who longs for his children to worship him as they seek to live in community together. We were saved through Jesus for a specific purpose. To spend our days praising God. And to help usher in God’s new creation. Living in community with believers who are different than us. Is one small way we participate in God’s kingdom here on earth.

Remember the writer of the letter to the church in Ephesus was likely a Jew writing to a church made up of Gentiles. The writer clearly understands how hard it is to live out this type of Christian unity. It’s not easy to live in community with folks you’ve been at odds with over religious grounds. Living together requires effort. It takes humility, gentleness and patience. Fruits of the Spirit made possible through God’s gracious election.

Friends, anytime we’re able to respond to an insult with kindness. Hate with love. Uncertainty with patience. We bear witness to God’s grace at work in our lives. We don’t need to worry about whether or not we are part of God’s elect or not. When we can clearly see examples of God’s grace at work in us.

So, how do we respond to God’s grace? Well, I think a good place to start is to follow the advice of the author of the letter to the Ephesians.

We praise God for who God is and for what God has done for us in Jesus. For in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. (Ephesians 1:7). We praise God when we gather together as a community for worship. When we gather individually for prayer. And when we participate in an act of kindness in our communities. 

We also respond to God’s grace by learning to let go of our expectations of who God is and how God acts. The God we worship refuses to be bound by our limited imaginations. God is constantly doing new and surprising things all around us. All we need to do is figure out how to participate in what God is already up to. By looking for ways we can get in on the movement of the Spirit in our lives, in our communities, and in our world.

Thanks be to God,

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.