What does it mean to live in the futility of our own minds? I think most of us already know the answer to this question. It means being left to our own devices based on untruths and too little or unclear information about the circumstances in our lives.  We are best served when we gain the humility to recognize that we do not have all the answers all the time. That is a good first step to wisdom. But we are better served when we turn to how we hear of Christ and were taught by Jesus to figure out the truth of any situation. In our readings from Ephesians today, Paul reminds us of the truth that is in Jesus is not just a list of answers to our questions.

It is much more than that.

This passage suggests strongly that truth is not absolute. We know we should not trust anyone who tells us exactly what the truth in all situations is. But a lot of us like to use short cuts so we do not have to work too hard.  We close our minds and hearts to the truth Christ would have us seek. Paul reminds us that to think that way is indeed futile. Rather, truth is an ongoing process of openness and renewal of the mind. That can be demanding work. But it is indeed worth it if we seek to live an authentic life of faith. According to Paul, that process of renewal in the spirit of our minds is meant to be transformative. To be a Christian means to be renewed to the extent that we become a new self, “created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.”  And we must be open to that happening repeatedly. Personally, I find that good news to be liberating. It gives me hope that new and complicated situations can be less threatening.

All the lessons today speak to me of the hope that the Lord will help us in challenging times with the wisdom and truth of his word. Moses taught the Israelites to trust God to provide more than just food in their unfamiliar circumstances. They learned to follow God’s instructions, to do as they were taught. The Psalm refers to this story when it declares the strength of the Lord that gives us what we need in the form of heavenly bread. Matthew reminds us again that we live not by bread a lone, but by God’s word. And Jesus could not be clearer when he refers to the same wilderness story. Jesus is the bread of God that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. This is how we learn of Christ. This is how he teaches us. We are to be renewed by the bread of life, which is the truth in Jesus. That still does not give us any clear answers for complicated questions, but it gives us clear directions about how to ask them and to be open to being transformed by the answers. That gives me hope that in these times of great uncertainty and a great many falsehoods, we can navigate life in righteousness and holiness of truth if we listen closely to the truth that is in Jesus.