Naming, Remembering, Reclaiming ...
"Inherited Riches"
Just as Ephesians 1: 11-23 is the Epistle Lesson for this "All Saints' Day" Thursday, November 1, 2007, it was the "All Saints' Day" lectionary text in the year 2001 (Cycle C of the Common Lectionary), and the theme text that year for my choral-symphonic work, “Inherited Riches.” But, this composing was not simply a rudimental setting of music to text. It was a spiritual, reflective process dating back to Memorial Day, May 28, 2001.
That Memorial Day, in addition to observing the national holiday, I was finishing the worship design for the upcoming Pentecost Sunday, and also completing an eighteen-month planning calendar for the Worship & Arts ministries. As part of that planning process, I began focusing on special observances throughout the year. As I read the opening passage of Ephesians 1: verse 11 for All Saints’ Day 2001, I began to wonder about this promise of divine inheritance. The Apostle Paul was teaching a struggling church at Ephesus in Asia Minor that they had obtained an inheritance and were marked with the “seal of the promised Holy Spirit.” As I read Paul's account, I believed I could claim this inheritance for myself. It was as if someone had placed in my hands a precious package containing the greatest of gifts; a limitless source of wealth ... enough not only for the present, but for all eternity. I realized that just as Apostle Paul wanted the Ephesians to know the hope to which Christ Jesus has prepared, all persons are called to receive these riches of Christ’s glorious inheritance among the saints.
I paused from the scriptures momentarily to redefine that word “inheritance.” Assuredly, the dictionary confirmed what I already knew: "inheritance - an ownership by virtue of birthright.” My birthright, our birthright, is through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are to know “the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe.” As Christians, we believe this power was revealed through Christ when God raised him from the dead and “…seated him 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.”
On "All Saints' Sunday" 2001, I shared with the congregation Paul's words, followed by this admonition:
"Friends, I encourage you to claim these words of Paul as your own. I pray for you to rejoice in your birthright ... own it, use it, and love it ... because Christ intends you to receive a piece of this inheritance (this "kingdom") even now! We are marked not only with the seal of the Holy Spirit, but also with the grace of Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross."
Today, Sunday, October 28, 2007 … nearly six years after the premiere of “Inherited Riches” (and my words of admonition) … I pause to reflect on the resurrection life, the joy of knowing that Christ's spirit dwells within, the assurance of believing that God’s love is everlasting, and the promise of receiving a rich inheritance through the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I pray that I may awaken each day, affirmed as a member of the family of God and rightful heir to God's abundant blessings, an inheritance recorded in Ephesians 1: 11-23. Just as Memorial Day in America helps our nation name and remember the men and women who gave their lives for their country, “All Saints' Day” helps the Church name and reclaim its inherited riches with the saints. Hopefully, my music is a reflection of the inherited riches we own through Christ, an ownership by virtue of our birthright as children of God. Here is the anthem text I adapted from Chapters 1 and 2 New Revised Standard Version of The Apostle Paul's Letter to the Ephesians:
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. For in Christ we have inherited riches. We are marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, Christ's glorious inheritance among the saints. For by grace are you saved through faith, not by works but by the grace of God. For we are created in Christ for good works which God prepared for the saints."
--------------------
Blessings,
Bob
]]>