Ephesians 1:3–14 forms part of the lectionary readings for the second Sunday after Christmas, which is January 3rd. Ephesus was located at the intersection of several major east-west trade routes and became a vital commercial, political, and educational center of the Roman Empire. The size of the city is represented by its theater, which could seat over 24,000 people. Ephesus was perhaps best known for its magnificent temple of Diana, or Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. (Diana was the Greek goddess of the moon, forests, wild animals, and women in childbirth.) More importantly, Ephesus figured prominently and dramatically in early church history, for Paul used…