Prayers of the People

 So, through worship in August, we're reading Ephesians and just by virtue of the nature of time, it means we can’t read every single word in Ephesians together. I hope people have carved out some space to read from Ephesians on their own, but the way I planned the sermon series this summer and fall, this was just how the chips fell. Since we aren’t reading every word, I wanted to do an extra little message just about Ephesians 3, because we’re skipping Ephesians 3 altogether. The reason I skipped it wasn’t because I hate Ephesians 3, but it’s because some of it gets a little redundant. It’s also a little bit of an example of Paul interrupting himself. At least, that’s what it seemed like to me at first. Paul talks in Ephesians 2 about grace and reconciliation and then in Ephesians 4 goes into the importance of unity which is related to grace and reconciliation. But, in Ephesians 3, Paul takes a pause to get personal.

Ephesians 3 is basically Paul saying, “Look, I get it. Here’s the reality about where I am and what my circumstances look like, but you guys, you remember my commission. You remember my walk on the way to Damascus and how Jesus came to me and told me that I was going to carry His word to all the Jews, Gentiles, Kings, and everyone else. So that’s my context. That’s my reason for doing what I do. I can talk about bringing the groups together because that is Jesus’ call in my life. I get you might not understand that, so learn about it through how Jesus is using me.”

The second half of Ephesians 3 is Paul’s prayer. It even ends with “amen” which in a biblical word that means “may it be so.” (Cue Captain Picard Meme: “Make it so.”)

Paul has prayers for the people: that they are strengthened by the Spirit, that Christ dwells in their hearts, that they are rooted and grounded in love. He prays that they would have understanding and really feel the breadth and length, height and depth, of Jesus’ love.

That’s when I started to think that maybe Ephesians 3 isn’t so much an interruption as it is a pause for breath. The first two chapters have some deep theology going on. Ephesians 4 picks back up with some of that theology, so it’s almost like Ephesians 3 is Paul coming up for air and giving the people a chance to come up for air, too. It adds a level of humanity here, a reminder that this is a letter written by a person (who may have been Paul, but may have been someone writing in Paul’s name). It’s a reminder that these aren’t just things written in a void. And maybe there’s also some blessing in knowing that your leader is praying for you. As a pastor, I take a vow to “pray for the people and serve them with imagination, intelligence, energy, and love.” The writer of Ephesians may not have taken that vow that way, but he’s certainly praying for the people.

It’s a good reminder for those of us who are set apart (not above, apart!) as spiritual leaders. It’s a reminder for us to not only be praying with and for our church family, but to let them know we’re praying for them. We have prayer requests offered in worship on Sunday mornings. What if we took that list and checked in with people during the week? What if you sent someone a follow up card to let them know you heard their prayer request and you’re keeping their situation in mind? The space that interaction takes could be a breath of fresh air in the midst of everything else going on in life. 

Maybe it's also just a note to someone from the directory you've never met before. Your card could say, "Hello! I am Becki from your church family and I just wanted to drop you a note to say I'm thinking of you today. I don't know if we've had a chance to meet in person, but I would love to connect with you soon and find out how you're doing."

And really, with so many ways to keep in touch now, it’s easier than ever to let someone know you’re thinking of them.

Ephesians 3 reminds us to keep praying with and for each other, and to make sure we carve out space to be intentional about how we connect to each other personally. Our faith life together isn't just learning about Jesus. It's also living like Jesus and building relationships together. 

 How are you praying for and with your community of faith? Share in the comments below if you’d like and don’t forget to keep reading Ephesians!

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