Sept. 27th: A Different Kind of Authority

Hey everybody —

Settle-In September continues at the Foster Theater, and it's starting to feel less like we're visiting and more like it's ours. Thank you for showing up and making that true.

This Sunday Pastor Joel is preaching from Ephesians 1:15–23 — his title is “A Different Kind of Authority” — and the heart of that passage is a prayer. Here's what Paul asks God for on behalf of an ordinary church:

“I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe.” Ephesians 1:17–19 (NRSV)

Read it again and notice what Paul doesn't ask for. He doesn't pray that their circumstances improve. He doesn't ask for more money, a better building, an easier road, or relief from the empire they're living under.

He prays that they would be able to see. “The eyes of your heart enlightened.” And then he names three things he wants them to see.

• The hope to which he has called you. Not wishful thinking about someday. Hope for the thing that’s right in front of you — on a Tuesday, at work, stuck in traffic, scrolling the news at midnight, whatever. - The riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints. Among. Not simply a private account with your name on it. Whatever you've been given, it’s yours to steward alongside people in this community, including the ones who'll be sitting near you Sunday morning. - The immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe. Not power held somewhere in reserve, waiting until you've earned it. Power already at work, around you and within you. Remember Paul also said in Romans 8:11 that the same power that rose Christ from the dead is, through the Holy Spirit, alive in our bodies. God’s power, already ready and available.

The truth is, you can be carrying hope, belonging, and power all at once and still feel like you're running on fumes, because the problem isn't supply. It's vision. Paul's answer to a tired church isn't get more. It's open your eyes to what you're already holding.

That's a prayer worth praying for yourself this week. And it's the doorway into what Joel is preaching, because Paul doesn't stop at naming the power. He goes on to describe it by pointing to Christ, raised and seated:

“…far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.” Ephesians 1:21 (NRSVUE)

That's every kind of power we know how to recognize. Political power. Financial power. The power of whoever gets to decide what happens to you. All of it ranked underneath the power of Christ.

And then comes the line that changes what all of it means. God made him “head over all things for the church, which is his body” (Ephesians 1:22–23). Not head over the church. Head over all things … for the church. The authority that outranks everything in this age and the next is provided on our behalf, not held over us like a sword.

Let that marinate for a bit.

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A full liturgy

There's more than usual packed into this Sunday, so here's the shape of it.

• We're welcoming new staff. Julie McBee and Avery Rosnick are stepping into new roles, and we'll introduce them properly and pray over them together. If you've wondered who's been doing all the quiet work lately, come meet some of them. - Back-to-school blessings. We'll bless the students and educators among us — kids, teenagers, adults, teachers, bus drivers... anybody who's a few weeks into a new school year. - A financial update from Luke Bonham. Straight talk about where things stand as we settle into the new space. - Prayers of the People and the Lord's Prayer. Bring what you're carrying. There's room for it. - Community life, and songs on either side of everything. Jelani and the team have the music.

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Access Community Forum

Our community forum at accesscov.com/forum is up and waiting for you. It's the place to keep talking between, during and after Sunday services — to chew on the sermon while it's still working on you, to sort out details for community events, to introduce yourself if you're new, and to share the life stuff that deserves more than a like button.

At Access, we’ve decided we’d rather not have our spirituality mediated by social media algorithms that train us to be angry and afraid.

Especially this week, with a sermon about what real authority looks like, it's worth noticing who's been handed authority over our attention. Come talk to actual people instead.

Reminders

• Give yourself extra time. No parking lot at the theater, and Portland traffic and construction is still a thing. Street parking along Foster, neighborhood as overflow — and please leave the closest spots for families with small kids and folks with mobility issues. - Check in when you arrive. Quick, and it's how we stay connected. Here's why we bother. - Kids are still in the room with us. Julie and her team are working on getting Access Kids' Ministry ready for our new location. Until then, we will all worship together! Speaking of preparation, Julie will be hosting a brief volunteer training in the ballet studio space next door right before service, from 9:30 to 10am (when service starts). - Sunday, October 4 — Our first family potluck at First Tongan United Methodist Church, by Pardee St (Where the “pardee” is at! Bah-dum-tsss). Since we're sharing the building with two other churches, we will not be using the parking lot. Park on the street and walk in. - Start thinking about what you're bringing, and lean into whatever your family makes or whatever your makes your heart sing — the arroz, the greens, the pan dulce, a box of Popeyes, whatever is your thing. There will probably be a theme so check for that. But bring food that represents you in some way. That's the good stuff.

One final thought

The authority Paul describes in Christ is a different kind of authority. Most power we encounter protects itself, or spends the people underneath it. This one spends itself on the people. It's God’s immeasurable greatness, aimed in our direction.

Which also settles what to do with whatever authority any of us has been handed — as a parent, a boss, a teacher, a pastor, a neighbor, a friend somebody trusts. If Christ's authority exists for the body, ours does too. Authority that isn't spent on behalf of the people isn't following His pattern, but the world’s.

Let's be the body of Christ together, a group worthy of stewarding the power to which we’ve been entrusted.

See you Sunday.

Onward in the love and grace of Jesus, who as always, gives us Access to God.