Submission: It’s not that Weird (Ephesians 5:21-33)

Ephesians 5:21-24 Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he himself the savior of the body. As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.

Be subordinate to one another. How would this work? As Christians, it would mean we put others first. We should not have a selfish attitude but act as a team. This might mean being sincerely happy for someone who is succeeding even if we are not. As Christians we are no longer individuals. We are all in God’s army. Which means we are under rank of the church and should follow the rules of the church. Just as when someone joins the army, we essentially have signed away our “right” to decide what we want to do with our life, with our body, with our soul. We have to give that to God completely. We have to realize that we are not more important that the team as a whole.

Paul is trying to make a parallel connection in Christian marriage between husband and wife to the relationship between Christ and the church. The wife should serve her husband in the same way as the church serve’s Christ. The husband should in turn care for his wife as Christ cares for the church. Again, in a marriage, we are part of a team. The individual is not more import than the team. Submission means we are agreeing to be under the mission of God for marriage. To obey and glorify God a husband and wife. Not being below or inferior to our husband, but below the mission God has for our life. 

Wives are called to support their husbands as a pillar supports a roof. We are to support him in his mission to serve the Lord. We need to fully abandon our love of self for the love of our spouse. This works both ways. Again, our self wants and desires should not be more important than the team, the unit, the marriage. 

This submission is NOT a free-for-all for a husband to be abusive or neglectful in any way. Our mission is to love our spouse as Christ loved the church. Turn to Corinthians 13 to recall what love is:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

There is so much I could say on this topic, but I would be here for days. Do not fear the word submission. Read your Bible. Find good Christian studies on true submission, and what it really means. Here is one of the many posts I have read: https://loveworthchasing.com/2021/08/14/should-a-wife-be-submissive-to-her-husband/?fbclid=IwAR1Ur9IrQAaQAfEECvuh6TFKx0EjvrG-sH9oazFjPOCq3uZqtudeLdCm-zI

Thank you, God (Ephesians 5:15-20)

Ephesians 5:20 giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

We have so many things to be thankful for. If you are reading this, you have some sort of device you can be on the internet with. You either have the internet or have some sort of service, or have the ability to travel somewhere there does. Most importantly, if you are reading this, you are alive today. 

We need to thank God for all the things in our lives, no matter how trivial they seem. Thank God for your mode of transportation, even if it’s just a bike or your own two legs. You are moving. Thank God for your house, even if it is too small and over crowded. You have shelter. Thank God for your shower, even if it’s not always functioning or you don’t get to use it every day. You have a water supply. Thank God for your pantry, even if it is only canned meat and ramen noodles. You have nourishment. The hard times in our lives may seem to go on and on, but keep praying. God has blessed you with spiritual gifts. Look above you and thank God. There is a heaven waiting for you. 

Exposing Darkness (Ephesians 5:1-14)

Ephesians 5:11 Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them

Paul tells us we as Christians have come out of the darkness. We are the light. We must live like we are the light, helping those who are still living in darkness to come out. We cannot be fooled by empty promises or words. We know God’s law, and we know what is right and wrong. He tells us not to avoid people who are in the darkness, but the works of darkness itself. We are not to turn away from people who are struggling with sin. We are not promoting the sin, we are not tolerating the sin, we are not accepting the sin. We are merely loving the person, as Jesus called us to do, and it is possible that our love can help be the light for that person. 

This can still be a fine line to walk. Loving a person who is living a life of sin can still bring about questions. I would say it takes a lot of prayer to know that you are still following God’s calling about loving them, but making sure we are not falling into the trap of darkness. Attending events promoting things that we believe are wrong is not a good way to show love. Praying for them, letting them know you are praying for them, is. We must expose the darkness they are in, and not let ourselves get caught in the lies and webs. It is a constant battle between good and evil. We must always be prepared. It will get darker before it gets better. 

We must love them as ourselves. We need to be patient with ourself and open ourselves to God’s grace. We must encourage those who are struggling with sin to do the same. They need to understand they are still God’s child. And that God wants them to turn back to them. And we need to be patient with them. It takes baby steps to come out of the darkness. We must celebrate every step forward, every crack in their heart that allows the Lord in. Let us rejoice in their successes and be with them if they slip back. 

Examination of Conscience (Ephesians 4:25-32)

In addition to other sins we can think about easily during an examination of conscience, these verses are some we should pray through as well. You already know if you have gone to Mass on Sunday. But have you grieved the Holy Spirit (verse 30)? Did you let your Bible remain closed as you read through another novel? Did you say “I don’t have time for prayer this morning” after you scrolled through social media for 30 minutes? Did you allow worldly things to take you away from time with God?

Have you been generous with your time with your spouse? Have you paid attention to their concerns and put away falsehoods (verse 25)? Have you allowed resentment and bitterness towards your spouse to take root (verse 26)? Or allowed for misunderstandings to cause anger or mistrust? Have you manipulated your spouse to get your own way?

Have you spoken sharply or sarcastically to your spouse, children, friends, family, etc. (verse 29)? Have you spoke in a demeaning way? Have you injured someone through taunting or teasing? Have you gossiped about your spouse? Your children? Have you undermined the authority and dignity of your spouse? Have you undermined the role of authority in the eyes of your children by speaking negatively against God, the Church, your spouse, or others who hold authority over them?

Have you cared for the spiritual needs of your children? Have you taught your children the gospel and commandments? Have you prayed with them? Have you disciplined when necessary? Have you been lazy and apathetic? Have you taught them forgiveness (verse 32)?  Have you been a good Christian witness in all that you do?

Have you been frustrated or impatient with your spouse, children, family, etc (verse 27)? Have you treated them with respect? Have you fostered hatred toward “political” enemies? Have you been prejudiced towards others because of race, color, religion, or social status?

Have I lied about my work? Have I been lazy in my job, calling, or ministry? (verse 28)

These are some really deep, thoughtful and soul searching questions. Any yeses here requires asking forgiveness. I actually have a questionnaire on my phone that I keep to do a deep examination before I go into confession. Sometimes we don’t realize the little things we have done because we keep focus on the big ones. Paul reminds us that if we are in a new life in Jesus, then we should turn from all the old ways. That includes turning away from anger, lying, falsehoods, cheating the system, using foul language, and taking time away from the Holy Spirit to enjoy worldly desires. 

Put on a New Self (Ephesians 4:17-24)

Ephesians 4:22-24 that you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth. 

I went through a rough patch in my life. I said I believed in God, and I did, but I certainly didn’t follow my spiritual teachings. I followed my desires, clung to the things of the world. Drinking, relationships outside of marriage, sloth, envy. I lived there. I thought I could get by my sinful ways by just asking God “if you let this happen, I promise I will straighten my life up.” And it seemed to work, so I kept on in those ways, just figuring I could ask for forgiveness later. Well, it caught up to me eventually. I kept asking, “if I could not get pregnant, I’ll stop being intimate with this person.” And 3 weeks after getting engaged, I found out I was pregnant. (close to) Top of the class, goody-two-shoes, Catholic girl got pregnant before she was married. Definitely not a good way to represent the church.

It took a long time after having my baby before I leaned into the pull towards God. I was so angry for a while, mostly at myself, for being a hypocrite. How can I call others to God when I made this mistake? Well. Not a mistake.  It I definitely got called out on my sin. Can’t pretend to be a good follower in the front row of church pregnant and unwed. Can’t be a church leader/grower when you didn’t follow the rules yourself.

But I learned later that I still could! I still could be a follower of Christ. I had to just forgive myself, turn back to God, shed my previous way of life. I renewed my mind, and let God have all of me. This all started when my baby, who wasn’t a baby because she was going into 2nd grade, was getting ready for First Communion. How can I lead her to Christ if I wasn’t showing the right examples? So I started learning, asking questions, reading, researching. God moved us to a new town for my husband’s job, and put me in the path of some really awesome Catholic women, and they helped me grow. Now, years later, I am helping lead others. 

It wasn’t easy turning away from the desires of the world. I always felt like people would still think of me as being hypocritical. Like, how could you tell me o live when you made your own mistakes.  I did, but I turned from them. I want better for my children, so I have to live it. I want a better world for their children, so I have to help build it. We all need to build up the church that Christ gave us, and to do that we need to turn from our old ways. Like a butterfly, we have to shed our old self and embrace the new.

We are one Body (Ephesians 4:8-16)

Ephesians 4:15-16 Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love

In the previous verses, Paul explains that Jesus gave some of the people specific gifts so they can help set a solid foundation for the church. He uses the phrase “build up the body of Christ.” He didn’t mean a physical building. The first saints that Jesus gave specific jobs in his ministry were to help build up the Church, so that people could have the unity of faith in God. His call was to strengthen the faith and belief. To help others mature in Christ. When the church continues to help its body mature and grow together, where every part does it share, it will thrive. 

It is hard to turn sinners to Christianity if the Church itself doesn’t show stability. Why would anyone want to be part of a group when the rules keep changing to meet the world’s desires. Just like in politics, people will make a great deal over a candidate who “flip-flops” his/her political beliefs. Think of it another way: as you need a stable body to accept a new organ or transplant, you need a stable church to be able to take in a sinner, someone longing to find the truth. Otherwise, the person longing to find Christ may reject the whole thing because the church hasn’t prepared itself as a functioning body for Christ.  

We are all called as Christians to grow in Christ’s love, to strengthen the body of the church.  Not for ourselves or our own image, but instead to unify the church around a common faith. Faith in God. What can you do to help build up the church? It takes us all. We are all one body.

We Should Love First (Ephesians 4:1-7)

Ephesians 4:1-2 “lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,”

If we truly understand what God did for us, what Jesus did for us, we would lead a life deserving of his love without thought. We should want to abide by God’s law and his calling without doubt because of what he has already done for us. It shouldn’t be about living a with disregard, knowing that he forgives our sins. We should be living doing our best NOT to sin in the first place because of him. 

In all situations we should continue to fall upon the thought of Jesus on the cross. He suffered and died for me. If I continue on this path, am I doing his death Justice? Or am I just slapping him in the face? In what ways can I live better? I can certainly work on being gentler. That is never an easy way for me. But I know that when I am harsh, and I see my children’s face, I know I have sinned against Jesus’s calling for me. Every day I need to put Jesus first instead of my own impatience. I need to put love first.

Beyond our Imagination (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us

God created the world. We know the story in Genesis. But there is so much more to it that what we read. It wasn’t like a genie from cartoons who just “poofed” and there was a tree. God designed every element of every creature. He made it the right amount of gases in the air to sustain life. Even as he made man from the dirt, every bone, every organ, every drop of blood was thought out. To be able to work perfectly together in the shell of skin. This being to have emotion, thoughts, love. As it is, the coming together of a cell and an egg, forming a new cell, and it splitting into more and more and becoming life in the womb. This process too was designed by God. It is beyond what our human minds can comprehend. 

Our God is an awesome God. If he can accomplish far more than our imagination can fathom with making the world and people, who is to say that he cannot handle what we ask in our life? The really cool part is even though he is an great and all powerful God, who created the heavens and earth, he still wants to hear our problems. He still wants us to turn to him in our times of need. He still wants US. Never think that your problems aren’t worth it. Never think you aren’t worthy enough for his forgiveness. He wants you. He loves you.

Kneel Before the Father (Ephesians 3:14-19)

Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I kneel before the Father

There are many references to kneeling before God in the Bible. Psalm 95:6 tells us to “kneel before our maker”. Daniel kneeled in prayer three times a day. Ezra knelt in prayer and stretched his hands out tot the Lord. Many people came before Jesus and knelt. Jesus himself knelt down to pray. 

There are so many ways to pray, and we should pray often. We can pray in the car, in our kitchen, folding our laundry, before meals, at school, etc. But we also need to take the time to humble ourselves, slow down, kneel and pray before God. Coming down to our knees shows complete humility, as we are beneath him. In the Catholic Mass, we genuflect when we first come to our pew to show reverence. Catholics kneel several times during preparation of the Eucharist, to show humility before the Lord, recognizing our own littleness before him. Also, because Jesus kneeled before the Lord. When my kids grumble about having to kneel, I remind them that this small sacrifice is nothing compared to the pain that Jesus endured for us. That usually gets them to think on it for a minute. 

Kneel before the Father. Make yourself little. Pour open your heart. He is there, waiting to hear from you.  

Who is Watching You (Ephesians 3:1-13)

Ephesians 3:10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the principalities and authorities in the heavens.

How amazing it is for God to want to show his angels his work on earth! Sure, they can look at any point and see death and destruction, sin and failure, weakness and doubt. But they can also see God’s work through us. They can see salvation. They can see us learn forgiveness and love. They can witness hearts being changed. The angels can learn through us. Not that we are spectacular beings, but that through the grace of God, we can learn from our failures and strive for more. The angels, as are we, are instructed by God’s wisdom. They get to see creatures made in God’s image first hand learn and use God’s wisdom. They get to see a world worth defending against the devil. 

There are others in our own lives who learn from watching us. We need to constantly be aware that someone out there is learning from us. What choices am I making? What am I allowing in my home? Am I showing kindness and compassion to all? I pray that the lessons learned lead them down the right path. 

The Wall is Gone (Ephesians 2:11-22)

Ephesians 2:13-14 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh.

By the blood of Christ, we have been set free. Christ did suffer during his crucifixion. It can be overwhelming to look at images of his death and his bloody body. But every drop of blood that poured out of him was for our sins. It was his love pouring out. So that we can be one with God in heaven. He did this for Jew and Gentile. He did this to break down every barrier that separates man (man being mankind, all humans). He tore down the physical wall as well as the spiritual one.

I don’t know why we keep trying to separate people in terms of relationships with God. The wall is gone. We need to stop putting it back up. It doesn’t matter what race, what nationality, ethnicity, language, religion. We all can be close to God through the bloodshed of Jesus. If we believe in his suffering, death, and resurrection, and that he died for our sins, then his death has set us free.

Good Works (Ephesians 2:1-10)

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.

The beginning of this chapter fits our world to a T right now. Many are choosing to follow the world, follow the “power of air.” Like a leaf, being blown around to this thought and that thought. Following the wishes of flesh and impulses. God wants everyone to be saved. He gave us his son to die for our sins, so that even those now nearly 2000 years later, could be freed from their sins. But to be free, you have to want to choose Christ. 

For those who choose Christ’s way, we know we have been saved by God. We also know that through his good works we have been saved, and we should live in his good works. Our good works will not give us salvation, as that is only given to us by God. But because we are saved, we should prove our faith with good works. One way is to continue to live as God wants us to live. To show other’s God’s way by emulating Jesus’s teaching. We are called to love, to guide, to protect. 

We need to love others, no matter what they have chosen. Even those who chose to follow the “power of air.” We can’t show them God’s way by denying them the love God intended for them. We need to guide others back to the Word. Talking about God and faith is a great way to do that. We need to protect those who are still young from the desires of the world. Planting seeds of faith in children so they can grow up strong against the wickedness of the worldly desires. We need to be available for questions, keep an eye on what they are seeing, telling them “no” when we know the situation is not good. Just as we are God’s handiwork, so are our children. And they are much more moldable than we are. 

As adults, we have had years to grow shields against the devil, but children are still saturable. Part of our good works as Christian parents is to help our children find God. What is a way you can ensure your children know God’s word? And not just to know it, but to understand, believe, and love it. The Pharisees could repeat Moses law verbatim, but they weren’t living it. We need to show our children how to love, guide, and protect by living Jesus’s Word. God has prepared the way. It won’t always be easy, by He is right alongside us. But we have to choose the right path to walk.

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord (Ephesians 1:15-23)

Ephesians 1:18 May the eyes of [your] hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones

Everyday it seems there is some news story of someone somewhere trying to make their opinion heard. Their opinions are not faith based, but they still want to push their agenda. It seems people want what makes them happy, yet they fail to see that true happiness can only be found by following God’s Word. God’s Word is true. It has been true since the beginning. It hasn’t changed just because people’s hearts have.  And when the Church tries to keep her long standing faith steady, we are told we are old-fashioned, outdated, etc. 

Many people have lost sight of God’s Word as they continue to cling to “self-truth” and this “woke” spirit. Their hearts no longer have eyes to see the truth. They are closed off to true knowledge. Whether it is because they truly feel a certain stance is correct, or they don’t want to be put out for not following the trend, I can’t say. We are called to trust in God with all our heart, and not lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Paul tells the people in Romans12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

I pray for the leaders of the Church, that their hearts continue to be enlightened, and they may continue to know the truth of God’s Word. That human desire doesn’t cause them to become slack to appease the world today. That we remain solid in the Word, as it was written. That no matter how long since the Word was written, the Church continues to hold truth above all else. Because the Word never changes. It never grows “old-fashioned.”

I pray that the members of the Church continue to love all, even when people allow human desires to change them. The Church cannot withhold God’s love just because someone thinks differently; rather we need to shine brighter to call them back to the Word. Let us be the lighthouse in the storm. Because, if it continues in the manner, it’s about to get really dark. 

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew steadfast spirit within me.

Baptism Promises (Ephesians 1:11-14)

Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit.

“sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” In baptism, we as Christians are sealed by God.  As a visual, imagine a person being baptized in the river. They go under the water and come back up, the water flowing off of them, sealing them in God’s graces. It’s like seals we use in the house. I paint something, and cover it with a waterproof seal so nothing can penetrate and destroy the inside. Same with upholstery, we put waterproof seal so that spilled coffee doesn’t damage the material. Our baptism seals us to help us from being damaged by outside forces. 

Of course, we forget our baptismal promises now and again. And thankfully, we have salvation through Christ’s death. Baptism was just the “first installment” and Jesus sacrifice is another. Through his death and resurrection, we have another seal to protect our souls from Satan’s power. We are forgiven for our sins. Though we should not live our lives knowing that we can just ask for forgiveness later. Let us remember our baptismal promises daily. 

Spiritual Blessings (Ephesians 1:3-10)

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.

“Every spiritual blessing in the heavens” God has given us so many blessings so that we can live with him. These blessings are not the physical ones that we get to see. These spiritual blessings are key benefits by living a life connected to Jesus. He made us.  He allows us to become his children. He has given us graces for forgiveness of our sins. He redeemed us through Christ’s resurrection. He has given us wisdom through his Word. He has given us inheritance of the eternal home. These are considered advantages that are ours through Christ, because of our faith. 

We should already be thanking him for the blessings we have on earth, like our home, our family, our health, food, jobs, cars to get us to work, machines to make things easier, etc. We need to add to our praise list all the spiritual blessings God has given us. Because the spiritual blessings are far more important and more eternal than the temporary ones we receive on earth. Like my grandmother always said, “you can’t take [physical things] with you when you leave this place.” This is very valid right after Christmas with all the gifts received. Did any of them bring you closer to Christ? How soon will it be put in a corner and forgotten?  We need to make sure we are focusing on our spiritual blessings, nurturing and growing them, because that is what we take with us when we go to our eternal rest. 

Are you walking with God (Ephesians 1:1-2)

Ephesians 1:1-2 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the holy ones who are [in Ephesus] faithful in Christ Jesus: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul here makes a distinction in his address that he is writing to the “holy ones” (the saints in the NKJV). He is separating out the people in the Synagogue who act like they are rightous from those who truly follow Christ’s teachings. 

Grace to you and peace. He wishes graces to those who follow Christ. We must have grace before we can peacefully walk with God. We have every reason to trust in God. We must also trust that when we offer up our sins, he will forgive them. Once we confess our sins to God, and we are forgiven, we must also forgive ourselves. We must not dwell on our sins or let them eat our minds. If we are truly sorry, and truly repent, we are truly forgiven. Letting ourselves continue to think on what we did wrong is letting the devil win, and showing God we don’t truly trust in his love. We mustn’t doubt that we are capable to be forgiven. We are not unworthy of his love. If we begin to think that, then it’s like saying Jesus’s death wasn’t enough.  Jesus suffered, was beaten, and was nailed to a cross. He died in agony for every one of us. He took on every sin committed and every one that will ever be. His death offers every single one of us grace. Accept that grace. Let your heart heal. Let peace in. Then you can be free to walk in peace with God.