Submitted by: Pastor Andrew Sanders, Fairfax United Methodist Church

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21
As I read through the Bible I can’t help but to think of the many things that test us as a society today, or better yet that test us as Christians today. We have humanity issues that are knocking on our doors, we have natural disasters that have decimated the landscape, and we feel the fear coupled with anguish as our freedom continues to be in jeopardy. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father. I pray that this prayer for spiritual strength strikes a chord with you as you reflect on Paul’s words realizing that it is not just in troubling times that we should bow but also out of thankfulness for all that God has done.
No generation since the fall of mankind has not felt the pressures of this world. Today is no different, but in this world we have a hope that is greater. A hope and a knowledge of Christ’s love offered to each one of us that are His family and according to Paul that is each and every family that is of heaven and of earth.
Today we have many tools at our disposal – tools that can cause great harm. But those same tools used in the right way can bring great good. These tools are tools of communication. We are at a place in our society where we have the most tools ever afforded the people. If we so choose, those tools, used in love, can transform communities. This is not a time of hopelessness for we are filled with the same hope in our savior Jesus Christ as those that came before us. It is my prayer that we lift each other up in that hope realizing that we are given abundant grace and love that surpasses all understanding.
Our prayer should be that this love is allowed in each of our hearts to be the love of transformation that this world needs so that all will come into that fullness. Know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.