Ephesians 1:7-14

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.” vss. 7-8a

When starting anew there’s no better feeling than knowing that we have a blank slate. None of the pages of our memoir from this day forward have any words on them. The story of our 2026 is yet to be written! But one thing we do know is that our trespasses, however great they may have been, have all been forgiven. This was the theme that Paul chose for his letter to the Ephesians and it was the guiding principal of his life. Whatever the death of Jesus might have meant, there was no doubt that it was connected to forgiveness, and that remains true for us as well. There are several theories of atonement that try to explain the logic of redemption, but not one of them is sufficient. The mystery is beyond our comprehension. But we continue to affirm Paul’s message: forgiveness is real! And it is for all people! And if that seems impossible, well, that’s just how God is. We don’t have to understand it and we don’t have to earn it. It’s simply a matter of receiving the gift and laying aside the burden and guilt of sin. So how will that affect what we write in our memoir tonight? How are we living out our holiness today? Oh what magnificent stories we are writing!

Thought for the Day: How does page 1 of 2026 reflect our goodness?