Ephesians 1 tells us that our salvation is a central part of God’s eternal plan, which Paul defines as “uniting all things in Christ.” That’s at the very center of a passage full of rich gospel truth and references to the glory of God. If we were to attempt a really succinct summary, it might go something like this: 

The end goal of God’s work is his own glory, as creation is restored to its original intent, and as all God’s people find true joy in knowing him and true purpose in worshiping him. That’s what it means for all things to be united in Christ. Isn’t it beautiful that God, who alone is truly and infinitely worthy of all glory and honor, has chosen to make our salvation and wholeness, and the restoration of all of his creation, the path towards his glory? Somehow, in his wisdom and love, God intricately threads together our flourishing and his glory. He is glorified as we, along with the rest of creation, are healed and restored to a sinless, unbroken existence, one in which our worship of the one true God is unending, unchallenged, and undistracted, as we see him for who he truly is and celebrate everything he’s done. 

This week, Dr. Scott Sunquist, president of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, will preach in our service about evangelism and mission. That’s intricately connected to the plan of God laid out in Ephesians 1; the point of evangelism is to invite more people to be part of the work of God to unite and renew all things in Christ. Don’t we want as many people as possible to be awakened to God's glory and grace, with hearts and voices tuned to sing his praise, giving him the honor he deserves? That certainly doesn’t make the mission easy - honestly, evangelism is often pretty intimidating - but it makes it so worth it. 

Let me make a quick and specific connection to what we do on Sundays. If God's end goal is a diverse group of people united in Jesus, worshiping him, and experiencing the joy and peace of life in him, corporate worship is the greatest current expression of our ultimate destination. It grounds us in the hope of what is to come, and, hopefully, as we get a little taste of the work God is doing, it also fuels the fire of mission in us. After we gather to worship in unity with God’s people on Sunday, we naturally want to invite the people in our circles of relationships to be part of it, don’t we? So, we gather, we rally, we celebrate, and then we're sent, as participants in the glorious mission of God. 

To prepare for Sunday, read Ephesians 1:3-14.