{"id":9103,"date":"2002-05-07T19:50:02","date_gmt":"2002-05-07T17:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theologie.whp.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/?p=9103"},"modified":"2025-04-21T10:27:24","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T08:27:24","slug":"ephesians-115-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/ephesians-115-23\/","title":{"rendered":"Ephesians 1:15-23"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christ On The Throne – For Us | Pfingstsonntag | 19. Mai 2002 | Ephesians 1:15-23 | Bruce E. Shields |<\/span><\/h3>\n

Have you ever, out of curiosity, walked into an Eastern Orthodox church
\nbuilding? Either Greek Orthodox or Russian Orthodox would do. In nearly
\nevery one of their sanctuaries your eyes would be drawn to a commanding
\npiece of art. In many cases the art is in a dome high above the seats
\nof the people. The picture there is of Christ on the throne. This is the
\nresurrected Lord who has joined God in heaven, where he sits in majesty,
\nreigning over heaven and earth.<\/p>\n

Most western churches do not show such symbols. We are more likely to
\nhave a cross as the dominant symbol. I still recall conversations with
\na church architect in which he said, one cross is a powerful symbol; three
\ncrosses are just decoration. So we decided on the single cross at least
\nlife size, on the wall behind the baptistery in our new sanctuary. Walk
\ninto the sanctuary of a Roman Catholic church and you will see a crucifix-a
\ncross with the dying Jesus impaled on it.<\/p>\n

These are not just architectural peculiarities. They indicate what we
\nemphasize in our preaching and teaching. Recently our seminary built a
\nvillage for student housing, and our development department found a family
\nwho wanted to erect an artful cross in the village. The sculptor who designed
\nand built the cross did it with the imprint of the body of Jesus in it.
\nIt is not a crucifix, but we call it „The Cross of the Resurrected
\nLord.“ The body of Jesus is gone from that cross, but the crucifixion
\ndid not leave the cross unmarked or empty. The evidence that Jesus died
\nis still visible. Most of us are comfortable standing with the Apostle
\nPaul in Corinth, as he described his preaching there as „to know
\nnothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.“<\/p>\n

We in the West concentrate on the meaning of the crucifixion, while Christians
\nin the East concentrate on the resurrection and ascension of Christ. We
\ndo not totally neglect the resurrection, of course. Easter is still an
\nimportant holy day for us. However, we come close to neglecting totally
\nthe ascension and enthronement of Christ. We too often preach our way
\nfrom Easter to Pentecost without recognizing that the infusion of divine
\npower among the Christians on that Pentecost in Jerusalem was, according
\nto our text and others, the direct result of the ascension and enthronement
\nof Christ.<\/p>\n

So what we need is not a de-emphasis on the cross but an increasing emphasis
\non the resurrection, ascension, and enthronement to complete the picture.
\nIt seems to me that that is what our text, Ephesians 1:15-23, offers us.<\/p>\n

15<\/i> I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love
\ntoward all the saints, and for this reason16<\/i> I do not cease to
\ngive thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.17<\/i> I pray that
\nthe God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a
\nspirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,18<\/i> so that,
\nwith the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope
\nto which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance
\namong the saints,19<\/i> and what is the immeasurable greatness of his
\npower for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.20<\/i>
\nGod put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead
\nand seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,21<\/i> far
\nabove all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name
\nthat is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.22<\/i>
\nAnd he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over
\nall things for the church,23<\/i> which is his body, the fullness of
\nhim who fills all in all.<\/p>\n

This passage tells us that the resurrection, ascension, and enthronement
\nof Christ is never just a cold fact of history, never just a theoretical
\ndoctrine. Here it is embedded in a prayer. Thus for us it is an act of
\nworship. Notice that the prayer is that the Ephesian Christians may know
\nthe power of God that is shown and made available in the ascension as
\nboth a vindication of the crucified Christ and a power in the Church for
\nservice in the world. This paradox of our Christian faith and understanding
\nhas at least four facets. Let’s look at them one at a time.<\/p>\n

1. Christ’s death as a sinless martyr means that God is working on behalf
\nof us sinners. Numerous times in the life of Jesus he reminded people
\nthat God was at work both through him and in them. We need such reminders
\ndaily. We tend to make decisions even in the church on the basis of our
\nown abilities and opportunities-our own energy. But the cross should remind
\nus that there is very little in our lives that is actually dependent on
\nour competency. When God found us in Christ we were sinners, alienated
\nfrom God and from ourselves. Anything positive we have become or will
\ndo is God working on behalf of us sinners.<\/p>\n

2. Christ’s resurrection nearly 2000 years ago means that God is still
\nworking in the 21st century. By bringing Christ back from the grave God
\nhas shown that death and time can not limit God’s divine presence in the
\nworld or God’s power in the people of God. Too often we talk and act as
\nthough our faith is relevant only in history. Too often we argue about
\nwhat God DID instead of showing what God IS DOING in our lives and in
\nthe life of the Church here and now. God burst the bounds of time just
\nas surely as God released Jesus from the grave clothes. God is still at
\nwork.<\/p>\n

3. Christ’s ascension out of the world as we know it means that God
\nis working in this world as we know it-working to make it into a world
\nas we have never before seen it, a new creation. When I walk into an eastern
\nOrthodox sanctuary and look up at the representation of Christ on the
\nthrone I feel pretty small. This is an appropriate first reaction to the
\nconsideration that Christ is Lord of the universe. One of my students
\nrecently made a presentation in class on preaching from Revelation. He
\npointed out how subversive the book of Revelation really is. He noted
\nespecially that to point to Christ on the heavenly throne meant that even
\nthe Roman emperor was not ultimately in control. He went on to say that
\nWashington is not really in control, either. No theologian, no seminary
\nprofessor, no mega church is in control even of Christianity. The Church
\nis a monarchy and our headquarters are in another dimension of reality.
\nThe throne and its Ruler are in heaven, and so God continues to work without
\nlimits in this world that we inhabit.<\/p>\n

4. Christ’s enthronement on a cosmic throne means that God is even now
\nworking in the life of the earth-bound Church. Christ on the throne of
\nthe universe means that we are not under the control of blind fate. Christ
\non the throne of the universe means that we are no longer under the control
\nof human law. All other powers, whether political, economic, or spiritual
\nfade into insignificance in the light from the throne of Christ. The whole
\nof creation is now subject to power with a face-Jesus of Nazareth, who
\nknows our needs first-hand. The primary question that church leaders should
\nask is, Where and how is God at work around us and in us? We can assume
\nthat God is not just waiting for us to do something. God takes the initiative,
\nand we can but follow. Where is God working in [your city] this week?
\nWith youth gangs? With the elderly? With these and more? Find God at work
\nand fall in line.<\/p>\n

Then the power will come. God’s power is not limited, as human power
\nis. To plug into this transcendent power all we need is the ability to
\nsee the reality of the enthroned Christ and putting ourselves to work
\nso we can actualize it in our lives. We live surrounded by power. It is
\navailable everywhere, all the time, and in every situation of Christian
\nservice.<\/p>\n

Then we can experience the promise in the enthronement Psalm 110:<\/p>\n

1 The LORD says to my lord,
\n„Sit at my right hand
\nuntil I make your enemies your footstool.“
\n2 The LORD sends out from Zion
\nyour mighty scepter.
\nRule in the midst of your foes.
\n3 Your people will offer themselves willingly
\non the day you lead your forces
\non the holy mountains.
\nFrom the womb of the morning,
\nlike dew, your youth will come to you.
\n4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind,
\n„You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.“<\/p>\n

5 The Lord is at your right hand;
\nhe will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
\n6 He will execute judgment among the nations,
\nfilling them with corpses;
\nhe will shatter heads
\nover the wide earth.
\n7 He will drink from the stream by the path;
\ntherefore he will lift up his head.<\/p>\n

\n

Prof. Bruce E. Shields
\nEmmanuel School of Religion
\nJohnson City, Tennessee, USA
\nE-Mail: BruceShi@msn.com<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

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Christ On The Throne – For Us | Pfingstsonntag | 19. Mai 2002 | Ephesians 1:15-23 | Bruce E. Shields | Have you ever, out of curiosity, walked into an Eastern Orthodox church building? Either Greek Orthodox or Russian Orthodox would do. In nearly every one of their sanctuaries your eyes would be drawn to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8543,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,727,157,853,1536,108,110,374,349,3,387,109],"tags":[],"beitragende":[],"predigtform":[],"predigtreihe":[],"bibelstelle":[],"class_list":["post-9103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-epheser","category-archiv","category-beitragende","category-bibel","category-bruce-e-shields","category-current","category-engl","category-kapitel-01-chapter-01-epheser","category-kasus","category-nt","category-pfingstsonntag","category-predigten"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9103"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22997,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9103\/revisions\/22997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9103"},{"taxonomy":"beitragende","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/beitragende?post=9103"},{"taxonomy":"predigtform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtform?post=9103"},{"taxonomy":"predigtreihe","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtreihe?post=9103"},{"taxonomy":"bibelstelle","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bibelstelle?post=9103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}