Sunday, October 12th: "The Heart of the Matter: Rooted and Grounded in Love"

Watch the Sermon here

 The First United Presbyterian Church

“The Heart of the Matter: Rooted and Grounded in Love”

Rev. Amy Morgan

October 12, 2025

Ephesians 3:16-17

I pray that, according to the riches of God’s glory, the Holy One may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through the Spirit and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.

As we walked around City Park in New Orleans a few weeks ago, Jason and I marveled at the incredible root systems of the oak trees, which can easily live more than a thousand years because of the way their root systems grow. Young trees develop a deep taproot, which anchors the tree and seeks stable moisture sources. Once the taproot is well-established, the lateral root system begins to spread out in all directions and can eventually reach 2 to 4 times the width of the tree’s canopy. The canopy can spread up to 150 feet or more, so we’re talking about 300 to 600 feet of roots around one tree. Most of the roots are less than three feet below the soil, meaning the roots weave above and below the surface. This allows the tree to easily access nutrients and thrive through adverse conditions. But one of the side effects of this massive root growth is that the roots break up sidewalks, streets, and even building foundations and undermine the human-made infrastructure. 

It's amazing to think that something as ordinary as a tree could have such a major impact on things that seem impenetrable. It’s a reminder of the wonder of ordinary things. And encouragement for those who are up against forces and systems that seem unyielding. 

The church in Ephesus was up against such forces. Ephesus was one of the largest and most prosperous of the Roman empire. Its major industry centered around the temple of Artemis, reported to be four times larger than the Parthenon. The forces of wealth and power, the infrastructure of Roman rule, made it a challenging environment to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, a message focused on love and mercy and compassion. Paul established the church in Ephesus and spent years with them in an effort to help them develop a deep taproot that would equip them to grow strong in an environment firmly established in the values of the empire. 

In the segment of Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church that we just heard, Paul talks about those values - riches and strength and power. These are words we, and the Ephesians, would typically associate with material wealth, physical prowess, and political authority. But Paul uses these terms very differently. He talks about the riches of God’s glory, not human wealth. He talks about being strengthened in our inner being, not our physical body. He talks about the power of the Holy Spirit, not political authority. This is subversive language in a city known for its wealthy tradespeople, its strong military force, and its political and cultic influence. 

The roots of the Ephesian church quickly spread far and wide, absorbing the nutrients of new believers, those who turned from idol worship and exploitation to faith in Jesus Christ. People stopped buying trinkets from the silver smiths to donate to the temple and started giving to the church instead. These strong and powerful roots, fed by the riches God provided, caused so much disruption to the human-made infrastructure in Ephesus that Paul and his friends were driven out of town. 

Several years later, as Paul lived under house arrest in Rome, he wrote this prayer to the Ephesians. Remembering his time with them, he prayed God’s riches would rain down on them, that they would have inner strength and the Spirit’s power. His desire was that Christ would take up residence in their hearts, move in permanently and make himself so at home that it would feel like he’d always been part of the family. Then Paul combines the language of natural growth and human construction, praying that they may be “rooted and grounded in love.” The word “grounded” is an architectural term, from the word for foundation. So Paul hopes that they will continue growing roots in love like an oak tree, and as those foundations of hatred and oppression get busted up, that they would construct new foundations in love. 

It's amazing to think that something as ordinary as a church could have such a major impact on things that seem impenetrable. It’s a reminder of the wonder of ordinary things. And encouragement for those who are up against forces and systems that seem unyielding. 

As I’ve explored our church’s history, I’ve marveled at the incredible roots this church has in our community and how those roots have spread far and wide. Schools, parks, and institutions around Loveland bear the names of historical church members. Our founding pastor, William McCreery, became superintendent of schools in Larimer County and served in a variety of other civic roles. We’ve had church members who served as missionaries around the globe and church members who helped found the Boys and Girls Club right here in Loveland. Our taproot here in Loveland is deep, and our root system spreads out far beyond the boundaries of our property line. 

And our roots have stayed close to the surface, receiving new nutrients and adapting to changing environments, so that we could remain vital and vibrant and weather adversity over the decades. Through two world wars and two global pandemics, through droughts and crop diseases that decimated farming and destroyed livelihoods, through social discord and discrimination, through an explosion in population growth, through recession and inflation, this church has been through it all and stood the test of time. We’ve been nourished by new members and new ideas. We’ve been fed with generations of generosity of time, talent, and treasure. We’ve received grants and welcomed new technologies.

All this has allowed us to not just survive 150 years but to thrive. And to thrive in such a way that we can break apart the structures that cover up injustice, that make a path for exploitation, that are the foundation of abuse and oppression. The roots of this church cause disruption in the infrastructure that makes life easy for some but impossible for many and destroys God’s good creation. 

And as that infrastructure is dismantled, we build new foundations in love. We built a place for people to come and be loved and not judged. We built a space and community for restoring relationships between God, creation, and humanity. We built relationships that sustain us through triumph and tragedy. We built a community that cares for the neighbor on our doorstep and welcomes everyone and reaches out compassionately. 

And, of course, this is not our work, but the work of God in this place, Christ setting up residence here so that we can be “The Heart of Christ in the Heart of Loveland.” We are blessed with the riches of God’s glory, strength in our inner being, and the power of the Holy Spirit. We have been gifted with subversive wealth, strength, and power in a society that worships at the altars of materialism, physical prowess, and political authority. 

Because we have been rooted and grounded in love, because we have that deep taproot and wide-reaching lateral root system in love, because we are built on a firm foundation of love, we are flourishing and we are contributing to the flourishing of our community. We are a place where neighbors can find rest and comfort. We can nourish the ecosystem around us. Music and joy, hope and peace echo in this place, and we can participate in the work of Jesus Christ. 

And that work matters now more than ever. We are rooted in love, founded on love, in a society that, more and more, is rooted in division and founded on anger, resentment, and hatred. We cherish and are grateful for the riches of God’s glory in a society that, more and more, is exploiting the poor to enrich the wealthy. We are strengthening our inner beings in a society that, more and more, believes might makes right. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit in a society held hostage by political strongarming and intransigence. 

Here is the heart of the matter, friends. This church needs to be here. Not just for our sake. Not just because we like coming here and being together. Not just because we have great music and a gifted and dedicated staff and amazing volunteers and faithful leaders. Not just because we’ve been around 150 years. 

This church needs to be here because our neighbors need us. Our society needs us. They need us to keep doing the hard, barely perceptible work of breaking up those structures that are destroying us, oppressing us, hiding the pain and suffering around us, supporting the infrastructure of injustice. The church needs to be here. 

And it will be here. Because Christ has moved into the neighborhood. He’s taken up residence in our hearts, and he’s not going anywhere. 

And in gratitude for that, we give. Like the roots of an oak tree, we return a portion of all the abundance we’ve received for the health of the whole tree. In recognition of how essential this church is for the life of our neighbors, we give. 

Thank you, friends, for your commitments of time, talent, energy, creativity, and treasure, for all the ways you nourish this community, for all that you give, so that this church can continue to thrive and to help our neighbors flourish. Thank you for digging deep and reaching out wide in love, for building on that foundation of love, to grow and create a world defined by God’s love and justice, by Christ’s peace and compassion, and by the Spirit’s energy and imagination. Thank you for giving, so that we can stay rooted and grounded in love.

To God be all glory forever and ever. Amen.