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I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.  That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms… (Ephesians 1:18-21)

Ephesians is one of my favourite books of the Bible.  There are a lot of soaring words as Paul falls all over himself in trying to describe the incredible hope given in Christ for us, for the church, and even for the world.

Just listen in to what he’s saying here in these few short verses:

We are the children of God—we belong to him—and we will enjoy his inheritance as heaven and earth meet at last.  In the end, Jesus returns to dwell with his people.  It’s the moment that our hope is realized as we enter our inheritance.  An inheritance that is far more than just money or stuff.  It’s a secure place to belong, it’s a role and a purpose that have deep meaning and fulfillment, and it’s the whole, abundant, renewed creation within which to live it.  We will be co-rulers with Christ our brother over this renewed creation, our inherited home.  It’s a picture of life and of hope.  Everything as it was meant to be.

The great power of God guarantees it for us who believe.  His is the power of life and the power to bring life, even out of the clutches of death.  It’s the power that raised Christ from the dead, the power that has broken the power of death and that will one day put an end to death, pain, and dying altogether.  That life-giving power of God will renew our bodies and all of Creation, even as God establishes his rule over that Creation in Christ forevermore.      

But we don’t always have the eyes to see that sure vision of hope.  Sometimes our days are dark, we’re lonely, powerless, death seems near, resources seem scarce, our lives lack purpose. 

So Paul prays for us: particularly for the eyes to see.  The eyes to catch the small glimpses of grace and of hope that flow through our days: whether a sunrise, a moment of stillness, a stranger on the street, or an opportunity to connect in a strange new way with an old friend.  All glimpses that God’s life-giving power is at work still.  Glimpses that remind us we have a purpose, a home, and a place to belong that’s filled with life and plenty.  A future hope to keep our eyes on that God Himself guarantees, through Christ, who even now sits on the throne.