Monday, December 18, 2023
- Reflection by Dr. Kris Stache
Ephesians 1:15-19—NRSV-UE, emended
15I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus
and your love toward all the saints,
and for this reason 16I do not cease to give thanks for you
as I remember you in my prayers,
17that 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 God,18so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened,
you may perceive what is the hope to which God has called you,
what are the riches of God’s glorious inheritance among the saints,
19and what is the immeasurable greatness of God’s power for us who believe, according to the working of God’s great power.
This academic year Wartburg’s Department for Vocation and Formation has been dwelling in these words from the first chapter of Ephesians. We listen to these words as we gather and when we lead events. As a department that was created to accompany students on their journey of leadership formation, these words have become our guiding light. They challenge us, perplex us, and give us hope. As leaders called by God we know we don’t always have the answers and that things don’t always turn out the way we want (or the way students want). But we can be sure that God has called us and God in Christ through the Holy Spirit has called you. God is the giver of wisdom and revelation, so that we as the Wartburg community may perceive what is the hope to which God has called us, collectively and individually. This is ongoing, spiritual work on behalf of and together with a Wartburg Community that gathers in Christ’s name wherever we are. Our prayer in these words is not for certainty or answers, but for hope, the very thing leaders need in a time of uncertainty, a time of preparation, a time we call advent. May we hear the hope to which God has called us. May we rest in it. May we believe it. Thanks be to God.