<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Ephesians 1;5-8<div><br></div><div><b>5. &nbsp;He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,</b></div><div><b>6. &nbsp;to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.</b></div><div><b>7. &nbsp;In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace</b></div><div><b>8. &nbsp;which he lavished upon us.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>In order to understand Paul, we must stop thinking with mechanical, worldly reasoning, and begin to think meta-physically. &nbsp;To think meta-physically is to <i>“know the love of Christ&nbsp;which &nbsp;surpasses&nbsp;knowledge”. </i>(Ephesians 3;19). The truths of God extend beyond human reason.</div><div><br></div><div>For example: &nbsp;Jesus is both true God and true man, fully God, and fully man, all at the same time.</div><div><br></div><div>(Aristotle would teach us to reason that if you are fully man, you can not be fully dog. &nbsp;Or, if you are a plant, you can not be an animal. &nbsp;Such reasoning works and is true in material creation, but the truth of God transcends Creation and reveals&nbsp;truth&nbsp;which is beyond the physical.)&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;Thinking meta-physically, allows for two things to both be true and yet not mechanically&nbsp;rational, (not Aristotelian.)</div><div><br></div><div>Another example: &nbsp;Once the Words of Institution are spoken over the elements of bread and wine in&nbsp;</div><div>Divine Service, they also become the true Body and the true Blood of Jesus, given and shed for our forgiveness and life. &nbsp;The bread remains fully bread and the wine remains fully wine, yet now by the power of God’s living Word they are also the&nbsp;true living&nbsp;Body&nbsp;and true living&nbsp;Blood of Christ Jesus our Lord.</div><div><br></div><div>We call this meta-physical miracle the ‘consecrated elements’. They are no longer simply bread and wine, but have now become Christ’s true Body and Blood while remaining real bread and wine!<i></i></div><div><br></div><div>Think&nbsp;meta-physically about our reading today:</div><div><br></div><div><i>“He destined us in love to be his sons…” &nbsp;</i><span>(A</span><span>t the same time we still also&nbsp;have earthly fathers.)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><i>“through Jesus Christ…” &nbsp;</i>(As the Words of institution bring us Christ’s Body and Blood ‘in, with, and under the elements’ of holy Communion, so too,&nbsp;through&nbsp;Jesus Christ who is the Word,&nbsp;we become&nbsp;children of&nbsp;God,&nbsp;‘in, with, and under him’, whom we have been baptized <u>into</u>.)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><i>“according to the purpose of his will,…”&nbsp;</i>(This is God the Father’s doing, not our own. &nbsp;Just as our parents physically brought us into existence, we had no roll to play in our conception and birth, so too,</span></div><div><span>we are made his own dear children solely as the result of his will and working, not our own.)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><i>“to the praise of his glorious grace…” </i>(God has destined us to find our full&nbsp;joy in Him, just as the holy angels sing. &nbsp;We are created in Christ Jesus for praise. &nbsp;We are&nbsp;<i>”destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory”</i><i>&nbsp; </i>Ephesians 1;12.)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><i>“which he freely bestowed on us </i><u>in the Beloved.”</u>&nbsp; &nbsp; (Just as we are warmed by woolen clothing, when we are ‘in’&nbsp;the woolen clothing. &nbsp;So is God’s Grace warming our souls and giving us new life as we are wearing the Beloved who is Christ.)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Thinking meta-physically allows us to be both ourselves ‘in’ our physical bodies,&nbsp;and ‘in’&nbsp;Christ by the Holy Spirit&nbsp;at the same time. &nbsp;Remember, we are cleansed, we are sanctified, we are purified. &nbsp;We are no longer unclean&nbsp;old sinners, but our sin has been separated from us as far as the East is from the west. &nbsp;Our bodies (and all that we are physically and spiritually)&nbsp;are now a new&nbsp;holy sacrificial offering to God.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Jesus prayed for us saying, <i>“Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. &nbsp;As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. &nbsp;And for their sake I consecrate myself, <u>that they may be consecrated in truth.</u>” &nbsp; </i>(John 17;17-19)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>To be ‘consecrated in the truth’, is to be consecrated by the Word who is Jesus. &nbsp;Just as bread and wine are no longer just bread and wine, we are no longer just ourselves, Christ is truly present in us.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, truly the riches of your grace have been lavished upon us in our baptism into Christ. &nbsp;Bless us to embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of this&nbsp;everlasting life. &nbsp;We pray <i><u>in Jesus,</u></i></span></div><div><span>Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation and we are His.”</span></div><div><br><br><br><div><a></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Ephesians 1;5-8
5.  He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,6.  to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.7.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace8.  which he lavished upon us.
In order to understand Paul, we must stop thinking with mechanical, worldly reasoning, and begin to think meta-physically.  To think meta-physically is to “know the love of Christ which  surpasses knowledge”. (Ephesians 3;19). The truths of God extend beyond human reason.
For example:  Jesus is both true God and true man, fully God, and fully man, all at the same time.
(Aristotle would teach us to reason that if you are fully man, you can not be fully dog.  Or, if you are a plant, you can not be an animal.  Such reasoning works and is true in material creation, but the truth of God transcends Creation and reveals truth which is beyond the physical.) 
 Thinking meta-physically, allows for two things to both be true and yet not mechanically rational, (not Aristotelian.)
Another example:  Once the Words of Institution are spoken over the elements of bread and wine in Divine Service, they also become the true Body and the true Blood of Jesus, given and shed for our forgiveness and life.  The bread remains fully bread and the wine remains fully wine, yet now by the power of God’s living Word they are also the true living Body and true living Blood of Christ Jesus our Lord.
We call this meta-physical miracle the ‘consecrated elements’. They are no longer simply bread and wine, but have now become Christ’s true Body and Blood while remaining real bread and wine!
Think meta-physically about our reading today:
“He destined us in love to be his sons…”  (At the same time we still also have earthly fathers.)
“through Jesus Christ…”  (As the Words of institution bring us Christ’s Body and Blood ‘in, with, and under the elements’ of holy Communion, so too, through Jesus Christ who is the Word, we become children of God, ‘in, with, and under him’, whom we have been baptized into.)
“according to the purpose of his will,…” (This is God the Father’s doing, not our own.  Just as our parents physically brought us into existence, we had no roll to play in our conception and birth, so too,we are made his own dear children solely as the result of his will and working, not our own.)
“to the praise of his glorious grace…” (God has destined us to find our full joy in Him, just as the holy angels sing.  We are created in Christ Jesus for praise.  We are ”destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory”  Ephesians 1;12.)
“which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”    (Just as we are warmed by woolen clothing, when we are ‘in’ the woolen clothing.  So is God’s Grace warming our souls and giving us new life as we are wearing the Beloved who is Christ.)
Thinking meta-physically allows us to be both ourselves ‘in’ our physical bodies, and ‘in’ Christ by the Holy Spirit at the same time.  Remember, we are cleansed, we are sanctified, we are purified.  We are no longer unclean old sinners, but our sin has been separated from us as far as the East is from the west.  Our bodies (and all that we are physically and spiritually) are now a new holy sacrificial offering to God.
Jesus prayed for us saying, “Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth.  As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.  And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they may be consecrated in truth.”   (John 17;17-19)
To be ‘consecrated in the truth’, is to be consecrated by the Word who is Jesus.  Just as bread and wine are no longer just bread and wine, we are no longer just ourselves, Christ is truly present in us.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, truly the riches of your grace have been lavished upon us in our baptism into Christ.  Bless us to embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of this everlasting life.  We pray in Jesus,Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation and we are His.”


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