The book of Ephesians is one of the letters written by the Apostle Paul in the New Testament. It contains six chapters that address various themes and instructions for believers. Here is a summary of the key points in the book of Ephesians:

Chapters 1-3:
- The letter begins with Paul praising God for the blessings He has bestowed on believers through Christ. He emphasizes God's plan of salvation, predestination, and the redemption offered through Jesus' sacrifice.

- Paul highlights the unity of believers, both Jews and Gentiles, in Christ. He explains that through Christ's work, they are reconciled to God and brought into one body, the Church.

- The Apostle prays for the Ephesian believers, asking God to grant them wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of His great power and love.

Chapters 4-6:
- Paul shifts his focus to practical instructions for Christian living. He urges believers to walk in a manner worthy of their calling, emphasizing unity, love, and the importance of using their spiritual gifts to edify the body of Christ.

- He encourages believers to put off their old sinful behaviours and put on righteousness, honesty, and kindness. He addresses specific areas of life such as anger, dishonesty, sexual purity, and relationships.

- Paul instructs husbands and wives on their roles within marriage, parents on raising their children in the fear of the Lord, and slaves and masters on their conduct in the workplace.
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- He also discusses the spiritual warfare that believers face, emphasizing the armor of God and the power of prayer.

Throughout the book, Paul emphasizes the grace of God, the work of Christ on the cross, and the unity of believers in the body of Christ. He encourages us as believers to live out our faith practically, demonstrating love, humility, and obedience to God's commands. The letter to the Ephesians serves as a guide for believers to understand our identity in Christ and to live in accordance with God's purposes and plans.

The Bible begins and ends with meals. The first words of God to humans are an invitation to eat; the first conflict in the Bible is over a forbidden meal; the last act of Jesus before his death is to share a meaning-laden feast with his disciples; and the final vision of the new world is of a massive, joyful banquet.

One of the blessings we enjoy as Christians is that wherever we find ourselves in the world, we have a community to which we belong, where genuine relationships with other Christians can be enjoyed. If we neglect table fellowship, we will miss one of the wonderful ways God builds authentic community in the church.
As creatures made in God’s image, we were created for relationships, both with God and with other image bearers. By God’s design, therefore, genuine relationships are the basis for all human flourishing. We learn in the Bible that sharing a meal together is one of the primary ways relationships are established, deepened, and enjoyed both with God and with others.
Jesus was rooted in and lived this tradition. Just as he shared food with all sorts and conditions of people as a sign of the inclusivity of God’s kingdom, so too did the early church. The gatherings to eat together were earthly representations of the heavenly banquet imagery that had been reinforced by Jesus through his teaching as well as his actions. Following in the footsteps of Jesus, the table fellowship of the early Christians was warm and accepting. ​
The joy of eating together, the value of table fellowship for deepening relationships, the missional fruitfulness of shared meals and the opportunities for sharing faith, biblical study, prayer and worship around the meal table have all been rediscovered many times.
​The Old Testament prophets often compared life in the new heavens and earth with the picture of a divine banqueting table (Isa. 25:6; 55:1–2). In the New Testament, we regularly find Jesus reclining “at table” during His earthly ministry, engaging with real people, furthering His kingdom work, fostering true community, demonstrating reconciliation with God, and building genuine fellowship among His disciples (Luke 5:29; 7:36; 11:37; 14:15).

• It’s easy to eat with friends and family, but what about those we don’t know? Do we need to explore eating together with them?​
  

Consider the importance of eating together. The Apostles exhort us to show hospitality (Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9). Finally, our eternal, joyous, soul-satisfying communion with God and our brothers and sisters in Christ is depicted as the great marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 9:6–10). Eating together is important.

I’m convinced that one of the most important spiritual disciplines for us to recover in the kind of world in which we live is the discipline of table fellowship. In the fast-paced, tech-saturated, attention-deficit-disordered culture in which we find ourselves, Christians need to recover the art of a slow meal around a table with people we care about. “Table fellowship” doesn’t often make the list of the classical spiritual disciplines. But in the midst of a world that increasingly seems to have lost its way with regard to matters of both food and the soul, Christian spirituality has something important to say about the way that sharing tables nourishes us both physically and spiritually. We need a recovery of the spiritual significance of what we eat, where we eat, and with whom we eat.

To the Mothers of Knysna, we wish you a blessed weekend and a very Happy Mother's Day.

What we know is nothing is really lost until your mother can't find it!

Did you know that the only thing mentioned at creation before the fall of man that was not good was for a man to be alone, so God made woman, Eve! And after that, everything was "very good" .
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Should any parents need encouragement or guidance with parenting, do not hesitate to reach out to us at Lagoonside Church in Knysna. We are here to assist you. Being a mother or father can be daunting, but God's Word offers the counsel we need.

Our Prayer For Mothers

​Dear Lord,

We come to you today to lift up all mothers around the world. We thank you for the gift of motherhood and for the countless sacrifices that mothers make every day to nurture, care for, and protect their children.

We pray for strength and wisdom for all mothers, especially those who are facing difficult situations or challenging circumstances. We ask that you provide them with the support they need to fulfill their responsibilities as mothers and to guide their children towards a happy and fulfilling life.

We pray for mothers who are grieving the loss of a child, for mothers who are struggling with health issues, for single mothers who are facing financial hardship, and for all mothers who are going through difficult times. We ask that you comfort them and give them the courage to face their challenges with grace and resilience.

We pray for mothers who are celebrating the joys of motherhood, for those who have seen their children grow and thrive, and for those who have found new love and hope in their role as a mother. We ask that you continue to bless them and their families with health, happiness, and prosperity.

Most importantly, we pray that all mothers know how much they are loved and appreciated, not just on Mother's Day, but every day of the year. May they always feel your presence and know that you are with them every step of the way.

We ask all these things in your holy name. Amen.