In the run up to Easter we’re taking a short break from Ephesians to walk the road to the cross — the events that changed the world. And we’re doing it through the eyes of John, “the disciple Jesus loved.”As John looks back, he notices the little clues, Easter Eggs, that Jesus left along the way — the signs that this was always the plan. The cross was not a tragic accident or a last-minute rescue mission. It was always how God intended to reconcile humanity to himself and renew the whole creation.This Sunday, we are in one of the most painfully relatable moments in John’s Gospel. Two grieving sisters reach out to Jesus with words many of us have felt ourselves: “Lord, if you had been here…”Who Jesus reveals himself to be in that moment - and what he does - remains our solid and confident hope today.

As history, experience and recent events show, people are really good at building walls - disagreements with others that turn into discord, separation and isolation. Making peace can feel almost impossible.But what if the cross of Jesus doesn't just reunite people with their Creator? What if it also brings separated, isolated, even hostile people back together?That's exactly what Paul is saying in Ephesians 2: 11-22. IN days where we are seeing so much hostility, here we find real hope!

What difference does Jesus actually make to our lives? Does he tidy us up around the edges, make us nicer, more rounded people? Or is the change altoegther more radical? Paul seems to think so! (Ephesians 2: 1-10)

We like to pray for one another, right? But sometimes we hit roadblocks and it feels like our prayers just get a bit stuck. Well, if we're ever stumped as to how to pray for each other, Paul's got some great hints in Ephesians 1: 15-23!

Elect. Predestined. Chosen. Words that have power to bring great comfort and confidence - or great confusion - depending on what we think they mean.In Ephesians 1, Paul brings up the whole thing of predestination not for confusion, but for confidence. And the picture is bigger and more beautiful than we can imagine.

It's never a good idea to read Bible texts as though we are the centrepoint of the text! When we do, we miss the beauty and scope of who God is and what he's doing in the world. This is especially true of passages like Ephesians 1: 3-14. This is the kind of passage that's meant to lift our heads, open our eyes and thrill our hearts with just how awesome God is.

Ephesians 1: 3-14 shows what happens when we get excited about the truth of what God has done through Jesus! It's one long sentence in the Greek, and it's got so much in it that we're looking at it from three different angles over the next three weeks!This week... how does the Triune God bring about his plan of salvation?

We can tell a lot about who lives in a house by what the house is like. Paul tell us in Ephesians that the church is God's house - a dwelling made up of people, all different, yet unified in him. And the cement that holds it all together? His love!Big question: what can the world tell about God by looking at us as his house?This Sunday, we're kicking off our new series in Ephesians. Let's pray that over the months ahead we grasp the big vision of what God is doing, and who we are in the light of it!