Ephesians 5: 8 - 19

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light. (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.  For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.  But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.  Therefore He says: “ Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”  See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

An Exposition on Today’s Epistle Lesson

[I actually began with a brief explanation of the implications of today’s Gospel lesson for people suffering from economic stress.  Sorry about the sparseness of the notes.]

We have chosen the light over the darkness – therefore we have to walk as children of the light; “finding out what is acceptable to the Lord”

What is acceptable to the Lord?  The Psalm we recite in our morning prayers says that it is not burnt offerings, but rather a “broken and contrite heart” that God does not despise.  Other parts of our prayers speak of sins as something that you offer at the altar.  Our offering to Him begins with continual repentance – to use the imagery of today’s epistle, we must “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them”: repentance requires opening up all the hidden closets - all the secret dark places – to the Light of Christ.  And as this Light exposes the things that lurk in these places, we pull them out and offer them to the Lord in confession by name.

As we do this, as we find, expose, and sacrifice all the dark secrets, sins, habits, and histories that have blighted our souls; we walk more surely as “children of the light”, enjoying the blessings and joy that God has promised to those who follow Him.

In today’s lesson, St. Paul also encourages us to “redeem the time because the days are evil”.  He is exhorting us to greater intentionality in how we live our lives – pointing out that if we just let life happen, then the “evil days” will not only work against us from the outside, but without notice, even find their way back into our hearts.  Redeeming the time requires that we constantly evaluate the things put before and around us based on the full light of rationality.

Rationality: not just cost benefit, but grounded in true logic and a true understanding of “what is acceptable to the Lord.”

God’s standard and why it matters.  (Perfect Love)  God made the world good, and made us to thrive in it.  This can only happen if we dedicate ourselves to this cause – and do so with purpose and resolve.  Practically, this means avoiding taking pleasure in those things that God despises: deceit, hatred, darkness, etc. and reveling in those things that He has given us for our enjoyment and edification (community, light, joy, selfless service, charity, pursuit of truth, dedication to honest craft and creation).

And listen to these words St. Paul finishes with today as he describes both the method of sanctification and its enjoyment: “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”  Let all of our thoughts, all of our conversations, and all of our actions become hymns expressing our joy of being in the Love of Our Lord.