St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians is a bold declaration of love. We were in the ruminations of Abba before the stardust formed into galaxies and the earth coalesced into its present shape. Indeed, Abba's dream for his people already existed in those primordial days. Today we have the opportunity to wake up and embrace his dream with enthusiasm and intentionality. As members of his church, individually and collectively, we want to embrace God's desire for a dynamic people infused with his passionate love. The church as the bride of Christ is a powerful metaphor engaging the apostle as he writes his letter. Paul's passion becomes ours as we meditate on his words, which evoke spiritual desire. It is in this relationship of love that the central purpose of our lives is found. As we gratefully receive Christ's amity, and as his bride returns it, so the entire earth is enflamed with the fires of his love. At the same time, we recognize it is a mystery--this love between Abba and his church. When we receive and reflect Christ's overtures of love as a community of faith, a synergy is created and released through the interconnectedness of our gifts, talents, and zeal. The church contains the spiritual energy of a nuclear explosion, and when it detonates, it releases a fallout of love, mercy, and compassion, bringing healing to the world and drawing others to the divine presence. ""St. Cyprian said that those who did not have the church as their mother could hardly have God as their father. The church, after all, was already the fourth 'I believe' in the primitive Creed, after the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But the Daveys plunge us further back, into the Ephesian letter of St. Paul, probing his deep and rich metaphors for the church and pointing us back to what we have been losing: not 'fresh expressions' or organizations or institutions or consultants--but the local church. Entirely refreshing!"" --Paul Friesen, St. Paul's Church, Halifax, and Atlantic School of Theology ""Alan and Elizabeth invite us on joyful journey to listen to the music of Paul's ancient letter for shaping our lives in the community of faith. There's mystery, contemplation, and wisdom in gentle abundance."" --Norm Allen, Touchstone Ministries Alan Davey is the senior pastor of Weston Park Baptist Church, an inner-city church in Toronto, Canada, and adjunct professor of Christian spirituality and worship at Tyndale University College and Seminary. He is coauthor of Climbing the Spiritual Mountain (2014) and Abba's Whisper (2017). Elizabeth Davey is professor emeritus of English at Tyndale University College in Toronto, Canada. She is coauthor of Climbing the Spiritual Mountain (2014) and Abba's Whisper (2017), and author of A Persevering Witness: The Poetry of Margaret Avison (2016). For more information, visit climbingthespiritualmountain.com.

The Passionate Bride and A Persevering Witness

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