The Civil Wars"Poison & Wine"
Living the dream for 26 years?
A husband and father...rules over wife and children, both free, but the rule differs, the rule over his children being a royal, over his wife a constitutional rule. For though there may be exceptions to the order of nature, the male is by nature fitter for command than the female, just as the elder and full-grown is superior to the younger and more immature... [Concerning] the relation of the male the female...the inequality is permanent.
Aristotle, Politics
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
Ephesians 5:25
Note: No Christian Formation this week!
Sunday worship at 10:15 AM (childcare thru 2nd grade available)
In-person worship and live stream
Dear Grace Family,
The song I linked above is a doozy. The title indicates that marriage is both painful (poison) and delightful (wine), but it is mostly focused on the poison aspect of it.
That makes sense to me, because pain inflicted and experienced in marriage can leave deep wounds.
This week, we will be exploring Ephesians 5 as it pertains to marriage. It's a tough passage grammatically, culturally, and—for me and perhaps some of you—personally. Not only have I misunderstood it over the years, I have found myself falling short of it often.
The more I study this passage, though, the more I think it's bigger than marriage. Yes, it applies to marriage, and Paul is speaking specifically to husbands in verse 25. But, at its heart, this text is really about following Jesus. What he calls husbands to do—to lay down their lives for others—is what each and every disciple of Jesus is called to.
So, in a real sense, this text is actually about discipleship. And this is precisely why marriage can be difficult—because discipleship is difficult.
But at the same time, alongside the absolutely high demands Jesus asks of us—to pick up our crosses daily and follow him—he also makes lavish promises to us like this:
...whoever loses their life for me will find it. (Matthew 16:25)
The path of Jesus is not crucifixion unto nothingness. Rather, as we follow him, we walk along the path of crucifixion unto resurrection. The path is narrow, but it leads to life in all its fulness.
I hope to worship with you Sunday!
This Sunday: Ephesians 5:18-33 (NIV) “Husbands, Love Your Wives”Here is the Order of Worship.Warmly in Christ,JohnP.S. No Christian Formation this week!