Ephesians 2:11-22 Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Reflection
Christian churches around the world are built using a wide variety of materials. But all Christian churches have one thing in common: Jesus is the key building component of the church.
Paul calls Jesus Christ the cornerstone of the church. In constructing ancient buildings, the cornerstone was the principle stone placed at the corner of a building, and all other stones were set in reference to it. The cornerstone set the direction so that the structure would be straight and true.
Jesus Christ is the cornerstone on which the whole church depends and to which the whole church aligns. And as the apostle Peter describes it, all who believe in Christ are “like living stones . . . being built into a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5), which holds together as the one edifice of God’s people spread throughout the earth.
What is your church made of? Let this imagery remind you that the church is not a building but the gathering of God’s people established on the cornerstone of Jesus Christ.
Let us all give thanks for Christ’s mercy in joining us with his followers around the world!
Jesus, in and through you as our cornerstone, we belong to your church here at home and around the world. By your grace, help us to be your presence wherever we are. Amen.
God calls us to worship. Those from north, south, east and west are invited. Children, young people, women and men, are invited. Poor or rich, struggling or prosperous are invited. Those from each and every kind of family are invited. All of us, with our strengths and our weaknesses are invited. God calls us to worship.God, our mother and father, we come before you – awed by the endless bounty of your creativity and knowing that you are a God who seems to revel in variety. We love the fact that creation is stamped with the mark of your abundance. Our world is full of examples of your diversity – thousands of different flowers, trees, birds, animals, millions of bacteria, so many different eco-systems. One species of whale gliding through the waters would have been fabulous, but you created many! Loving God, help us to value, enjoy and protect the diversity and abundance of your world. Keep reminding us that you are a God who chooses beauty over blandness, variety over sameness: teach us how to do the same. Amen.
Loving God, we sometimes forget how radical was the work of Jesus and therefore how radical you are. In Ephesians we read that you broke down the barriers between two separate peoples. You enabled them to come together, to cease hostility, to live in peace and to grow together into a temple fit for your presence. We are ashamed that our history as Christian people has not always continued this reconciling; that the Church has often created divisions, perpetrated injustice and kept silent whilst others suffered. Forgive us and help us to realise here on earth the heavenly reality of the breaking down of that dividing wall. Help us to value one another, to listen to one another, to see the pain and hurt that division causes and to seek to bring change, healing and togetherness. Help us humbly to seek the raising up of others and not of ourselves, to enjoy the differences between us and to refrain from judgement. Help us, loving God, to become your living temple, growing, diverse and filled with love. We pray in the name of Jesus the peace giver. Amen.
A closing prayer
Loving God, thank you for the freedom to worship you, that we may come together without fear of scandal or retribution. Help us to cherish our freedom and to live responsibly within it. As we leave this place of worship help us to be good citizens of your commonwealth, to be a credit to you.
Amen.
Suggested Listening All praise to our redeeming Lord https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2Qhk8zl7Jo For I’m building a people of power https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pDO2hLLWLw I Belong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PqPcbyGTjo
