Thursday 08 December 2022

Psalm 113

Background

The letter to the Christians in Ephesus is attributed to St Paul, but may have been written by a disciple. The words ‘at Ephesus’ were not in the original text, so this may have been a circular letter read to Christian communities in a number of places. If so, there is a real sense in which it is addressed to us as well, and we can identify with what is being said: we are chosen, we are adopted, we have obtained an inheritance. There is a compelling immediacy about these strong statements, urging us "to live for the praise of his glory." (v. 12)

Ephesus was a city in Turkey, under the control of Rome, a cosmopolitan place with a busy port. It was the site of the Temple of Artemis, a Greek goddess associated with hunting and the natural world. Among its other buildings was the Library of Celsus, the third largest library in the Roman Empire, and a theatre which could hold 24,000 people. It was quite the place for learning and debate and also a place where Christians needed to know who they served and how they should live. The world of Ephesus was not unlike the world in which we live, with competing ideologies, much learning, and a search for pleasure. Though not all the advice in the final chapters resonates with 21st-century life, the vision is of a respectful and egalitarian society, one in which Christians would be ‘known for their love’.

To Ponder:

• What, if anything, do you find challenging in the lifestyle of those among whom you live and work? How does being Christian make you different?
• Practise giving a reason for the hope you have. (1 Peter 3:15)

Prayer

Loving God, when I feel challenged by competing values, in the words of the hymn: "Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart". Amen.