Dear Saints of Valley Church,
For millions of Americans, this Sunday will be defined by the Super Bowl, where one team will become the 2025 NFL champions. They will have the honor of holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy and will soon have the honor of displaying their 2025 championship rings that will forever signify the victory they accomplished.
To answer the burning question I’ve been regularly asked, “No,” I didn’t realize that my first sermon at Valley Church would fall on Super Bowl Sunday. However, the timing of the Super Bowl offers a helpful comparison as I consider our text this week. This Sunday, I have the privilege to share my heart for Valley Church by considering Paul’s description of God’s church in Ephesians 3:8-13. The whole book of Ephesians describes God’s work of cosmic reconciliation as he supernaturally reconciles lost sinners to himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:3-14; 2:1-10). Such cosmic reconciliation of sinners to God also supernaturally reconciles sinners to one another in the gospel (Eph. 2:11-22).
As amazing as it is to consider God’s work of cosmic reconciliation, it may be even more amazing that he chooses to share the privilege of displaying that cosmic work with us as his church. In Ephesians 3, we see that the church is God’s “Plan A” for displaying his glorious work of cosmic reconciliation to the world. God makes known his manifold wisdom “through the church (Eph. 3:10).
Where the NFL champions have the honor of displaying the diamonds of their championship rings for the world to see the symbol of their victory, we have the even greater honor of displaying the precious jewels of Christ’s victorious reconciliation for all creation to behold. Considering that privilege and purpose, we realize that what happens when we gather on Sunday morning infinitely dwarfs anything that will happen in the game on Sunday evening. This Sunday, as we are devoted to the Scriptures by listening to God’s Word together and devoted to one another by following Jesus together as a unity of diversity, we have the honor and privilege to visually display God’s invisible work of cosmic reconciliation to a lost world in need of such gospel good news!
One other reason to look forward to Sunday: Pancakes! The youth will be cooking pancakes before the Sunday gathering from 9:30-10:30 as part of their BreakFEAST! So come hungry both to receive food for our bodies as well as food for our souls as we listen to God’s Word together.
By His strength and for His glory,
Craig Shigyo