Just Be Kind

July 16, 2025

Good afternoon

( ****** Error from yesterday. Just before the quote from Yoder’s book .. .”at the end of the church” should have read ” at the end of the chapter” . Sorry about that ****** )Please read Ephesians 1: 1-4

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

         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.

The letter to the community in Ephesus, on the coast of the Aegean Sea, he begins with grace and peace. In these two words he addresses both parts of the community, peace for the Hebrews and grace for the Greeks. One of his ideas for these two groups is for them to get along. Later on he writes that Christ has broken down the wall of hostility between the two groups. They were different socially, religiously and ethnically. They would have had different foods. This is a big issue for the community and for the church today.

But, the second idea here in verse is whether we have free will or not. I think we act as if we do. We make choices between good and bad. There are the free choices that we make of what career we want to follow, what food we eat and what God we worship and serve. Do we want God to make all the choices, and we are like puppets ? The writer says that we were chosen, since before the creation of the world. The church leaders have always argued about this . It is in all the confessions of faith. John Calvin in the 1500’s argued strongly for  pre-destination. People were killed for thinking differently. The world and all that happens was determined before heavens broke open in creation. What do you think ? A friend of mine has dementia. I cannot believe God would have ordained that from before time began . That is cruel.

In the Gospels, the writers record that Jesus says he does not know when the end of the world will happen.  He ” knows neither the hour nor the day.” If this is true, then the idea that all things have been determined begins to crumble. If Jesus doesn’t know that day, then he is not all-powerful or all knowing ! Oh no.  Jesus himself did not really care. He said ” Be kind to everyone. ” That is it. Grace and peace .

Lord, may the world turn around and be kind to Palestine. AMEN

Fred

black and white shadows

crush humanity’s freedom

am I complicit ?

 MPL 2025