The Passionate Bride

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.