Jesus Christ is Lord
Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical Body of your Son: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. (Anglican Book of Common Prayer, 2019)
Ephesians 1:11-23 NKJV
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
PREDESTINED TO FULLNESS
(Tune: Immortal, Invisible)
Predestined to fullness in Jesus our Lord,
God’s purpose revealed in his excellent Word.
Our faith in the promise of God is the key
To life in the Spirit; to life full and free.
Predestined to fullness through faith in the Lord,
And love for God’s people as taught in his Word,
Brings wisdom and knowledge revealed from above.
All praise to the Father, the Spirit, the Son!
Predestined to fullness as children of God,
With hope of a calling to live in his love.
The riches of heaven, his power and might,
Will raise us with Jesus to glorious new life.
Predestined to fullness in Jesus our Lord,
Exalted in glory, the King of the world;
Above all creation, the Sovereign alone,
Today and tomorrow, forever to come.
Chrysostom
Since inheritance is a matter of fortune, not of choice or virtue, it often depends on obscure or fortuitous circumstance, overlooking virtue. It may bring to the fore those who are of no account. But notice how Paul qualifies this statement . . . He says, “being predestined,” that is, God has set us apart for himself. It is as if to say God saw us before we became heirs. The foreknowledge of God is wonderful and sees all things before they occur.[1]
Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, as we live among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. (Anglican Book of Common Prayer, 2019, Proper 26)
Join All the Glorious Names
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] Ancient Christian Devotional Year C, pp. 249-250.
