Sunday Worship: Ephesians 3:1-12

Devotional

Day 1: Following the Star Without a Transaction

You are invited to follow God’s light not because it earns you standing, but because something holy is happening and you don’t want to miss it. The Magi moved on a whisper and a star, not a bargain. Herod embodies fear and clutching control; the Magi embody worship and humble trust. You don’t have to arrive with leverage—only with open hands and a heart ready to adore. Let your journey be worship, not deal-making. [06:14]

Matthew 2:1–12 — Travelers from the east noticed a new star and understood that a true king had been born. They asked, searched, and were guided to the child. They offered costly gifts, not to buy favor, but to honor him. Warned in a dream, they returned home by a different route, choosing God’s direction over political pressure.

Reflection: Where have you recently tried to bargain with God, and what would arriving before Jesus with no conditions look like in a specific situation this week?

Day 2: Boundless Riches and an Eternal Purpose

Grace does not boost earthly status; it roots you in a purpose that cannot be chained. Paul wrote from confinement yet spoke of unsearchable riches in Christ that open bold access to God. Those riches are not trophies; they are the fuel for a life that displays God’s wisdom in the world. When you release the need to “get ahead,” you become free to live your calling. Today, step into purpose without waiting for perfect conditions. [07:03]

Ephesians 3:1–12 — From prison, Paul explains that God entrusted him with a revealed mystery: in Christ, all peoples are welcomed into the same promise. The wealth of Christ cannot be measured, and through the community of believers, God’s many-sided wisdom is displayed. Because of Jesus, we come to God freely and confidently, not by merit, but by mercy.

Reflection: What expectation that faith should improve your status or comfort do you need to hand to Jesus, and what purposeful action will you keep doing anyway this week?

Day 3: From Grace Received to Life Transformed

Even a thimble of God’s love changes the course of a life. Grace is not a trinket to pocket; it is a holy collision that reshapes how you see, choose, hope, and love. Instead of asking “What do I get out of it?” you begin asking “Who am I becoming in Christ?” Your purpose takes on the texture of Advent: hope that works, love that overflows, peace that reconciles, and joy that runs deep. Let grace move from your beliefs into your habits today. [06:58]

Romans 12:1–2 — In view of God’s mercy, offer your whole self to God as a living, holy offering. Don’t let the world squeeze you into its pattern; be changed from the inside as your mind is renewed. Then you’ll be able to recognize and embrace what God truly wants—what is good, life-giving, and mature.

Reflection: Which one—hope, peace, joy, or love—needs fresh attention in you, and what single, concrete practice will you adopt this week to cooperate with God’s transforming work?

Day 4: God’s Promises for Every Age and Season

God calls and equips people beyond the limits others set—too young, too old, too late, too early. Anna announced hope in her advanced years; Timothy preached despite his youth; Caleb asked for the hard ground when strength should have been fading. The promise is not fragile, and it does not expire with your season of life. God keeps God’s promises; your part is trust-filled obedience right where you stand. Do not sideline yourself—step forward. [08:21]

Joshua 14:10–12 — Caleb reminds Joshua that God preserved his life from the time of the wilderness. Though elderly, he says his strength for going out and coming in still endures. He asks for the hill country with its challenges because God promised it, and he trusts the Lord to help him take it.

Reflection: Where have you told yourself “this isn’t my season,” and what one faithful step will you take this week to claim the ground God has promised you?

Day 5: Courageous Love in a Transactional World

The way of Jesus moves us beyond calculation into courageous, protective love. In a world that rewards taking, you are called to shelter, to seek peace, and to listen for God’s guidance even when it contradicts the loudest voices. The Magi chose another road; Joseph chose protective flight—both acts of embodied trust. Let your discipleship take shape in real protection for the vulnerable and real resistance to harm. Love without strings is the road that leads you home by a different way. [07:49]

Matthew 2:12–13 — After honoring the child, the visitors were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, so they left by another path. That same night, an angel told Joseph to take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, staying there until further notice. God’s guidance provided safety in the face of danger.

Reflection: Who in your orbit is vulnerable right now, and what specific, doable act of protection or advocacy will you offer them this week?

Sermon Summary

Epiphany unveils a way of life that refuses transaction. The Magi do not journey to curry favor or gain political advantage; they come because a star signals that God is doing something new. Herod’s fear exposes how worldly power clings to control, but heaven’s light invites wonder, not bargaining. Set against Herod’s grasping, the path of worship is simple and costly: arrive empty-handed, receive what cannot be bought, and depart by another way.

Paul, writing from prison, names Christ’s “boundless riches” as a gift, not a deal. Nothing laid at Jesus’ feet can earn grace, and yet grace never leaves a life unchanged. Even a thimbleful of divine love begins a total renovation—an eternal purpose that calls people beyond self-preservation into participation in God’s renewing work. Love does not negotiate; it creates new creatures.

That purpose takes shape in the Advent way. Hope refuses despair and works for a world made whole. Love overflows without calculating return. Peace rejects the logic of threat and weapon, seeking a life beyond animus and domination. Joy is deeper than cheer; it is the settled knowledge that God provides, reconciles, and will finish what God begins. These are not seasonal sentiments but the durable posture of people remade by grace.

Scripture bears witness: age and biography are not barriers to calling. Anna proclaims good news in her late years; Timothy serves despite his youth. Joshua and Caleb trust God’s promise when consensus collapses, and David’s obscurity does not disqualify him from kingship. Paul himself moves from persecutor to apostle. God keeps promises, and that faithfulness makes unlikely people into vessels of hope, love, peace, and joy.

In a culture obsessed with what we can get, Epiphany insists we have already received more than we can repay. The right response is not deal-making but availability: to stand up, in this new year, as people touched and transformed by God’s love—no hedging, no “what’s in it for me,” just steady faithfulness under a guiding star.

Key Takeaways

1. Grace cannot be bought or bartered. God’s love is not a reward for correct rituals or a strategy for gaining influence. The Magi and Paul show that nothing we bring can obligate God; grace arrives as sheer gift. Receiving it means abandoning the illusion of leverage and learning to worship without a bargain. [31:03]
2. Love’s touch compels true transformation. The smallest drop of divine love reorders desires, habits, and horizons. Grace not only comforts; it assigns purpose and invites participation in God’s mission. If love lands and nothing changes, it has not yet been welcomed. [31:49]
3. Reject the tit-for-tat world. Transactional thinking shrinks relationships into ledgers and makes neighbor-love impossible. God’s love moves people beyond reciprocity into generosity that does not ask what it will get back. Freedom begins when faith severs the link between gift and payback. [33:22]
4. Advent virtues define Christian purpose. Hope labors toward what God promises; love overflows without calculating return; peace chooses a nonviolent imagination; joy rests in God’s sufficiency. These are not moods but practices that train a community to embody the future God intends. [34:10]
5. God keeps promises; every life counts. From Anna to Timothy, from Caleb to David and Paul, God’s faithfulness repeatedly overturns human disqualifiers. The measure of usefulness is not age, pedigree, or past but availability to the promise-keeping God. That assurance frees people to step into costly obedience. [42:14]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[10:36] - Call to Worship
[11:26] - Opening Prayer
[12:03] - Hymn: Go Tell It on the Mountain
[24:58] - Epiphany and the Magi Introduced
[26:19] - Before Herod: Power Meets Vulnerability
[28:10] - No Transaction at the Manger
[29:12] - Paul’s Prison Letter and Boundless Riches
[31:49] - Boundless Grace and Eternal Purpose
[34:10] - Advent Purpose: Hope, Love, Peace, Joy
[37:09] - Anna and Timothy: Calling Across Ages
[38:03] - Joshua and Caleb: Trusting the Promise
[40:28] - Epiphany: Receiving More Than We Give
[43:03] - A 2026 Charge to Live Transformed
[43:42] - Affirmation of Faith

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- Matthew 2:1-12

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

- Ephesians 3:1-13

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

- Luke 2:36-38

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Observation questions

In Matthew 2:1-12, what do the Magi actually do when they find the child and his mother? How is Herod portrayed in the same scene, and what contrasts do you see between the Magi and Herod?
In Ephesians 3:1-13, what words or phrases does Paul use to describe the “mystery” and the “unsearchable riches of Christ”? How does his setting (prison) show up in the passage?
In Luke 2:36-38, what details about Anna’s age, devotion, and actions stand out? What does she do when she recognizes God’s work?
Name the four Advent virtues that were highlighted and the simple practices connected to each one. What words were used to describe how each virtue looks in daily life? [34:10]

Interpretation questions

“There’s no transaction… no tit for tat” at the manger. If that’s true, what does it say about what real worship looks like in a culture that runs on deals and payback? [28:10]
Paul ties grace to “eternal purpose.” How can love both comfort and commission at the same time? Where might self‑preservation push back against that purpose? [31:49]
Anna, Caleb, David, Timothy, and Paul each defy common disqualifiers (age, obscurity, past failure). What do these stories suggest God is looking for when calling someone? [39:55]
Peace was described as more than the absence of conflict—refusing the logic of threat and weapon. How does that change the way a follower of Jesus imagines power, security, and action? [35:09]

Application questions

Where have you been tempted to turn faith into a bargain—doing the right things to get something back? What would it look like this week to pray or serve with no ledger, simply because God is worthy? [32:53]
If even a “thimbleful” of God’s love begins a renovation, what one habit, relationship, or routine is God inviting you to let grace reorder first? What small, concrete step will you take in the next 7 days? [32:12]
The Magi “departed by another way.” In this new year, what is one “another way” you need to take—a different route in your words, spending, media, or schedule—to follow the Spirit’s leading? [27:50]
Choose one Advent virtue to practice intentionally this week. Name a specific practice and a person or place for it:

- Hope: encourage someone in a hard season

- Love: give without calculating return

- Peace: decline a retaliatory comment or action

- Joy: fast from complaint and practice gratitude at dinner

Which will you try, and with whom? [34:10]

Age or biography is not a barrier. What step of obedience have you avoided because you felt too young, too old, too unknown, or too flawed? Who will you tell for accountability, and what is your first step? [37:09]
Where do you see “giants” that make trust feel costly—at work, home, school, or in the community? What promise from God will you hold onto, and what next faithful step will you take anyway? [38:26]
In a space where conflict is real for you (home, work, online), how can you be a peacemaker this week? What is one non‑retaliatory, creative action you can try? [35:09]

Sermon Clips

There's no transaction. There's no tit for tat. There's no if I pay you homage, I expect to receive my just rewards. The wise men didn't set out on this journey to choose the winning side. They didn't set out on this journey to enhance their power, to elevate their clout, to bring their status up in the world. They set out on this journey because they saw a star and they said, something is happening. Something is changing, and we want to be a part of it. [00:28:10] (44 seconds) #FollowTheStar

There is nothing we can lay at the feet of Jesus that will merit the gifts that God has given us, but there's nothing that we can receive from Christ that calls us to anything less than full transformation. Even the smallest drop, the smallest thimble of God's love transforms our lives. It changes us or it should change us. [00:31:53] (27 seconds) #SmallGraceBigChange

We live in a world that is transactional, a world that defines not only relationships, but also our own actions by what we get out of it. But our relationship with God is not transactional. We don't love God because we hope to be saved. God doesn't love us in the hopes that we will come to love God. God loves us because God loves us full stop. [00:32:49] (29 seconds) #GodLovesUnconditionally

But our relationship with God is not transactional. We don't love God because we hope to be saved. God doesn't love us in the hopes that we will come to love God. God loves us because God loves us full stop. And that love when it touches us, that love when it collides with our lives should call us, should move us into an eternal purpose, should move us beyond what we are capable of, beyond who we hope to be, beyond just that transactional level. [00:33:02] (43 seconds) #LoveBeyondTransaction

Our purpose is joy. To find joy in this world, to spread joy in this world, not just some surface level sense of happiness, but this deep deep feeling within us that is content, where we know that God has provided, that God's love is enough, that God's grace is enough, that we can be reconciled to Christ and to one another. This joy that lives deep within us isn't just being happy all the time. It's knowing that the world is as it could be, or at least the world and we are becoming as we should be. [00:35:30] (42 seconds) #DeepJoyInGod

We exist to invite people into that life, to change the world for the better, to change ourselves for the better, to recognize that the love of God that we receive is more than enough. And to let that love transform us, to let that love change us into people who are filled with hope, people who are filled with joy, people who are filled with peace, people who are filled with love. Not people who ask what do I get out of it or what's in it for me. [00:36:25] (41 seconds) #LoveTransformsLives

And Joshua tries to give Caleb an easier piece of land, where there are less enemies, where there are fewer giants, where the land is easier. And Caleb comes to him and says, no. Doesn't matter that I'm old. God is who God is. Give me what God has promised. I trust in God. And Joshua gives Caleb the full measure of what he was supposed to get. [00:39:22] (31 seconds) #ClaimGodsPromise

We have a purpose to be people of hope, people of joy, people of love, people of peace in a world that says those things only matter if you can get them. In a world that says those things only matter if you earn them. Those things only matter if you take them. We are called to be people who stand up and say, this is God's promise, and God keeps God's promises regardless of who I am, regardless of who you are, regardless of where we've been, regardless of anything else. God keeps God's promises. [00:41:38] (36 seconds) #PeopleOfHopeAndPeace

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Sunday Worship: Ephesians 3:1-12

Devotional

Day 1: Following the Star Without a Transaction

Day 2: Boundless Riches and an Eternal Purpose

Day 3: From Grace Received to Life Transformed

Day 4: God’s Promises for Every Age and Season

Day 5: Courageous Love in a Transactional World

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Sunday Worship: Ephesians 3:1-12

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