Thursday after the Transfiguration of our Lord
Posted on January 28, 2021 by under
Scripture: Ephesians 3:1-12 (NKJV)
3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.
8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.
Devotion
The fulfillment of the Gospel was hidden until our Lord Jesus came to finish all that was necessary for our salvation. It was a mystery. But that does not mean God was playing malicious games of “hide-and-seek” or “guess-what-I’m-thinking”. According to His infinite wisdom and holy will He promised that the Seed would crush the Serpent, and He would make it happen in the best time and the best way according to His created order.
The work of St. Paul, the rest of the prophets, saints, and apostles before him, and the whole faithful Church to this day is to proclaim the Gospel of Christ crucified for the forgiveness of our sins. That is the mystery that is fulfilled in the right teaching of His Word and faithful administration of the Sacraments. A glorious thing happens every time the holy Church gathers together around these gifts. May He continue to grant us His Spirit so that we appreciate His grace as it is given to us according to His Kingdom, His Power, and His Glory in our midst!
Prayer: O God, who in the glorious transfiguration of Thy Only-Begotten Son hast confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of the fathers, and who, in the Voice that came from the bright cloud, didst in a wonderful manner foreshow the adoption of sons, mercifully vouchsafe to make us coheirs with the King of His glory and bring us to the enjoyment of the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
