ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
June 17, 2026
Do you have certain shoes or other clothing you put on when going outside to work? I’ve got my mowing and gardening shoes (old running shoes), plus there are only a couple of pairs of shorts that I don’t mind ruining. I make the choice based on the specific work I will be doing. In Ephesians 2:10, we read, “For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we may walk in them.” I like this translation (NRSVUE), implying that the good works are like clothing. They’re just hanging in the closet until we choose to “walk in them.” In fact, we were created for these good worker garments, but how often do we choose something other than the good work garments? In the early spring, I climbed into the attic at the house to check on something, but I didn’t change clothes after work… I just wanted to get it done. Though they were not expensive or high-end dress pants, I caught them on a nail and sort of tore them beyond repair. There was work to be done, but I didn’t slip into the appropriate work outfit. With that in mind, there is a lot of good work needing our attention, and despite feeling as if we don’t have what is necessary, I believe God has prepared us for that task. Remember, rarely are Paul’s writings directed at a single person, but at a community. The good works are ours to take on, put on, and walk in. It might be a little crowded in those good work garments, but that’s ok.
Beautiful and Loving God, through whom we have life and purpose, we look to you for guidance in regard to the good works you are calling us to do. There is so much vying for our attention in this world, yet you are the God who was born into a specific context and for a specific ministry. Help us to remember that you are calling others for similar good works but in very different settings. Together, each in our own unique context, we will help you to transform this world. Amen.
