Welcome to day 3 of our devotions focusing on Hope. 

Today we look at Ephesians 1: 18-19. Paul continues his prayer …the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power

“What’s the view like from up there?”, the one young man shouted to the other, while climbing up the steep staircase that leads all the way to the top of the Lighthouse. After a while the answer came back: “Come and see for yourself.” A view can be so beautiful, that words or even pictures cannot do it justice. You have to see it for yourself. Keep this picture in mind as we continue with Paul’s prayer.

It seems as if Paul’s readers were lacking in hope, because after thanking God for their faith and love earlier, he now prays for them to know the Hope of God’s calling.

I would think that if people lacked in hope, Paul should teach them about it. But he knows better. He prays for them. This doesn’t mean that knowledge is not important. On the contrary, that is precisely what he prays for: understanding, insight and knowledge.

But he begins with prayer because it is God who brings insight into the hope of His call. This is what revelation means: God helps people to see what they normally wouldn’t see. And, to continue yesterday’s theme, this insight into hope doesn’t happen by itself. It comes through beholding the glory of Christ. The breathtaking view – or more accurately said, “breath-giving view” – that calls you to come and see for yourself. Nobody can behold on your behalf. “Beholding” asks you to be totally present.

How do we behold? Where do we start? We learn from Paul to begin with prayer. One of the reasons Paul writes how he praises God – remember the long praise sentence – and now what he prays for, is to help us to pray. It is in prayer that we present ourselves to behold Christ. And it is through prayer we also work with God to gain insight into the hope He is calling us for. When God works, He makes us His partners and empowers us to be just that: Co-workers. The power comes from Him, but the work in us, to grow in this knowledge, and also the work in the world to bring hope, is something we do with Him.

Let’s pray with Paul: Praise to you Father God, for blessing us in Christ with everything we need to grow in faith, love and hope. Enlighten the eyes of our understanding through your Spirit that we may know the hope of your calling, as we behold Jesus. For your glory we pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

And remember Jesus loves you and so do I.

Pastor Will 

Ephesians 1: 17. Paul prays:

… that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

What images or impressions immediately come to mind when you hear the word “God”? We all have ideas about God, many of which were formed in us as we grew up. But as we grow, those images don’t align with the God that really exists. Central to discovering the Hope that Paul is going to pray for in the next verse, is beholding God in Jesus. Jesus said: If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father. That is what Paul means by the phrase “The God of our Lord Jesus Christ”.

Paul also calls God the “Father of glory”. We see the glory of who God is, when we “behold” Jesus. Jesus who heals, forgives, and restores. Jesus who challenges abusive authority and systems. Jesus who drives out darkness by giving himself and dying for us. The reason we can have hope, is because God is who we see when we see Jesus.

“Father of glory” also refers to the promise God made to fill the earth with the knowledge of His glory. This healing and renewing glory of God which we see in Jesus, is going to flood the earth. And as we behold Christ, we discover that we are called to partner with Him in this mission. God wants to use you to fill the earth with His glory. That’s why Paul prays for spiritual wisdom, because wisdom is what people need to live life as God intended it to be: for His glory.

And he prays for spiritual revelation and knowledge of who God is. It is the Spirit of God that enables you to behold God in Jesus and align your view of God with Him. One of the reasons Jesus calls people to repent, is to make a radical change in our thinking about God. Bringing our image of God in alignment with who Jesus is, is central to our calling to fill the earth with God’s glory. Of course, we can only do this with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is what Paul prays and what God has already blessed us with.

When we reflect God’s glory into our world, it will bring hope, because at the root of many people’s hopelessness and despair, there’s an image or idea of God that doesn’t align with Jesus. God wants to save people from false ideas about Him. Knowing God in Jesus inspires hope.

So, we pray with Paul: Thank you, Father that you have made Your glory known in Jesus. Thank you for blessing us with your Spirit in Christ, to help us to behold You in Jesus and to repent of ideas about you that are not aligned with Jesus. Use us to reflect your glory to others and to bring Hope. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

And remember Jesus loves you and so do I.

Pastor Will 

As we are in the sewing of the fall and a new season of school and ministry.  I wanted to share with you what we are focusing on as a church at Proclaim for our theme of the year. With wars, political divisions, financial troubles, the election, we can grow weary and disillusioned. But Christians are People of Hope. Hope is our theme for this ministry season.  We are going to consider Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians and for us Ephesians 1:15-23 this week to delve deeper into the Hope that is inside of each of us.

1 Ephesians 1:15-16 “Therefor I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:”

Have you ever been in a conversation where someone is so excited about something that he or she keeps on talking and talking, and you are so drawn into the story that you find yourself almost holding your own breath on his or her behalf?

Well, Paul begins his sentence with the word “Therefore”, which obviously connects WHAT he is about to say, to his previous sentence. And in the original language the previous sentence starts in verse 3 and goes all the way to verse 14. One long sentence where Paul, full of excitement, praises God for what He has done for us in Christ. Take time to read it for context.

Throughout this week’s devotional, we will often use the term “behold”. To behold is more than just seeing; it’s to observe, to ponder, to perceive. In a sense this is what Paul is doing in verses 3 to 14: He is beholding Jesus Christ – pondering what God has done in Christ. And when we behold Christ, we discover that we are called to be a people of faith, hope, and love.

Paul continues his prayer in the verses we read, by giving thanks to God for the faith and love in the lives of his readers. Later in the prayer he prays for them to grow in hope. Paul refers to faith, hope and love several times in his different letters and he refers to it as a sign of a person’s maturity. But personal maturity is not a goal in itself. The larger calling is to reflect God’s glory into our world: that is our homes, places of work and communities by bringing faith, hope and love to people and societies.

And for Paul the starting point in order to grow, also to grow in hope, is to behold Jesus Christ. One of the ways we behold Jesus is in prayer. thanking Him for the impact He has already made and praying for things that God has already blessed us with in Christ in order to grow. Things like faith, Hope and love. We focus this year on hope but remember the bigger purpose.

So, we pray with Paul: Father, we praise you as we behold Christ. In Christ you blessed us with so much: to belong to you and your family, to be forgiven, to share in your purposes for our world, to be indwelt by your Spirit. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the work you have already done in me. Help us to continue to grow in faith, hope and love as we behold You. In your name we pray. Amen

And remember Jesus loves you and so do I.

Pastor Will 

Imagine watching a horse race and seeing the leather squares over the horses’ eyes. These blinders serve a critical role, blocking out everything around and behind the horses so they can focus solely on the path ahead.

In many ways, we navigate life with our own blinders, fixated only on what directly impacts us. This narrow focus can make us oblivious to the broader world and the people who are suffering within it. It’s time to remove those blinders. We are meant to live for something greater than ourselves.

Humbling ourselves before God is vital, but we must also extend that humility to others. When we do, we shift our focus from our own needs to asking, “How can I serve others?” The ultimate expression of love is prioritizing the well-being of others and taking action, just as Christ did when He sacrificed Himself for us. Look around you. When you see someone in need, take the initiative to love and support them.

Demonstrate the love of Jesus by making your life less about you and more about your readiness to be His hands and feet.

Be encouraged to go and prioritize the needs of others today.

Pastor Chance

Luke 14:28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?

Peter had a deep love for Jesus. When Jesus talked about His upcoming death at the Last Supper, Peter boldly said, “Lord, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death!” (Luke 22:33). It was a heartfelt declaration, but when the moment of truth came, Peter denied Jesus three times out of fear.

It’s easy to make big promises when we’re feeling close to Jesus. Statements like “I’ll go anywhere You lead” and “You can have it all” feel right during worship or church services. They sound good, and we might even mean them sincerely. But saying the words is just the beginning.

Are we making these passionate promises without thinking about what it really takes to live them out? We often confuse enthusiasm with true commitment, forgetting that real passion includes enduring hardship. Many of us Christians quickly say we’re ready to lay down our lives and follow Jesus. But like Peter on the night before the Crucifixion, do we back down when challenges arise?

If we truly want to follow Christ and fulfill His purposes for us, we have to be ready to give up our comfort. Are you prepared to make that payment?

In what ways is God calling you to get out of your comfort zone today?

Pastor Chance

The good news is that we don’t get our value from things but from the creator of all things! The good news is that Jesus can heal this insecurity, just as He gently rebuked Peter when he asked about John. Jesus reminded Peter that he was valuable and unique. Jesus says you are worth the cost, created to be unique, part of the royal family, and good enough because He made you so. You are set apart before time and he likes you. We have no reason to look at others because we are not like others! Focus on your own race, your own calling.

To live the abundant life Christ desires for you, listen to the voice of truth and tune out the lies. Remind yourself daily that comparison kills joy, what God has given you is enough and it makes you special, and that you are a unique gift to the world. 

A song from Casting Crowns: 

“But the voice of truth tells me a different story The voice of truth says “Do not be afraid!” And the voice of truth says “This is for My glory” Out of all the voices calling out to me. I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth”

Mark is is a character in my musical, El Camino, who may be a little inspired by my own journey. He’s a pastor with many years of service who is wondering If he might have “lost his way along the way.” The call to be a pastor is a blessing, but it can also be confusing and frustrating. Mark admits that “I started out with confidence, everything was clear,” but “I lost my way along the way. My heart and soul have debts to pay.” Like many other pilgrims who have ventured to walk the Camino he hopes that he will encounter the spirit of St. James, one who know how to walk the way of Jesus.

God has high expectations for those who accept the call as a pastor. But God also showers abundant blessings upon them. When I was ordained a pastor by my bishop to serve Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Chicago he said, “remember Andy, you are called to be a good shepherd but Jesus is the Good Shepherd.” Sometimes the best thing a pastor can do is simply follow Jesus hoping the flock will follow. Mark asks Santiago “Will you go with me all of the way to the end? I will need your courage my good friend.” We can all take comfort from these words of The Good Shepherd:

Matthew 11: 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Pastor Andy