no longer strangers

In his book Eat This Book, Eugene Peterson reminds readers that scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, is a narrative; it’s a story. The Bible, Peterson writes, “turns out to be a large comprehensive story, a meta-story.” Specifically, it’s the story of God’s work in the world, the story of how God created the world and is intent on restoring and redeeming all of creation.

And this story, as with any story, “invites our participation.” When we read Scripture appropriately, Peterson argues, we allow its stories to “form” us, to shape us. “When we submit our lives to what we read in Scripture, we find that we are not being led to see God in our stories but our stories in God’s. God is the larger context and plot in which our stories find themselves.”

Sometimes, when we read scripture, we tend to focus on the individual stories, even our own, much smaller story, and we forget how it’s part of God’s big story.

Ephesians, however, invites us to step back and to remember the larger story, God’s story, a story in which we’re still called to find ourselves.

Ephesians is a letter of the New Testament first written to the church in Ephesus, a primarily Gentile community, who, for the first time, has been invited into God’s story. And so, the author of Ephesians fills the pages with poetic and memorable depictions of God’s story, alongside practical and timely advice for those who live within that’s story.

This fall, we’re digging into Ephesians. Both worship and Tuesday’s Bible study will dig into this letter to discover not just its beautiful words, but its message for the church.

Why Ephesians?

Because its message is as timely today as it was more than two thousand years ago.

We are no longer strangers, but beloved members of God’s household. In a world that often feels divided, isolating, and uncertain, the letter to the Ephesians reminds us of a deeper truth: through Christ, we are invited into a new story—God’s story. We are invited to live a life rooted in love, reconciled to God and one another, and shaped by the unfolding story of God’s work in the world. Together we’ll reflect on what it means to be chosen, included, and built into something greater than ourselves.

Whether you are new to faith or have walked with Christ for years, this series offers a reminder that in God’s family, there are no outsiders—only brothers and sisters, called to live in the fullness of God’s grace.

I hope you’ll join us this fall as we discover how the good news of Ephesians calls us to live as people who are, truly and joyfully, no longer strangers.

Grace and peace,

Kimmy