Passage for Reflection: Ephesians 5:1-14
I’ve traveled enough to know when to ask for help. More than once if I had set out on my own, I would have walked and wandered, but been clueless about what I was seeing and unable to understand what I was hearing. With the help of a skilled guide, however, the sights and sounds of the world around me became clear and I was able to more fully experience another culture.
While securing a guide to help me make the most of a trip makes sense to me, I’ve not been inclined to seek out such expert help to navigate everyday life. Perhaps I’ve been missing out.
The Contemporary English Version of the Bible renders Ephesians 5:1-2 in this way: “Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children. Let love be your guide. Christ loved us and offered his life for us as a sacrifice that pleases God.”
Right in the middle of these verses are five life-giving words: Let love be your guide.
Maybe in the final days of the American Presidential campaign you are unsure how best to engage passionate people with very different perspectives than your own.
Perhaps there are those you interact with on a regular basis with whom you have fallen into a habit of simply going through the motions or doing the minimum.
Or it could be that your heart has hardened to the possibilities of new relationships and new experiences after years of encounters with difficult people.
Wherever you are and wherever you go, I wonder how, as a follower of the Way of Jesus, your life and the lives of those you encounter will be transformed when you choose to be guided by love.
This post was originally published in the Lectionary for Life Series for the Center for Congregational Ethics on August 12, 2024.