Unity in Christ

As I read Ephesians 2:11-22 this week I could not help but think that differences of interpretation, differences in understanding, in culture, and in people have always been an issue for the church. There have always been people who disagreed. Think back to when Jesus walked the Earth. As much as Peter loved Jesus they still disagreed – Granted Jesus was right, but Peter came around and understood it later, and it didn't stop them from working together in the mean time.

At this time Paul is writing to several churches in Ephesus. He is reminding them who they are. Sometimes we need to be reminded of that as well. He reminded them that we are one family and one in Christ. In today's multi-denominational world where fragmentation is a whole lot easier than trying to work together in love we forget that. The Presbyterians are Christians. The Catholics are Christians. The Episcopals are Christians. The United Methodist are Christians. The Baptist are Christians and the list goes on. Sometimes we need to be reminded of that. I think last fall that became very clear to us. When we housed and fed the people who came to work in Middleburgh and Schoharie last year we had wonderful conversations with Christians from many denominations. We fed each other, we were one family. We realized the divisions were not as deep as we thought. We do not agree on specifics regarding theology – we have had two thousand years to become divided on some of these questions, but like the Ephesians we can remember who our cornerstone is - Jesus.

Paul is explicitly telling us about the differences between the people in these churches. They weren't little differences they were big differences. There were major cultural and social differences (ie who could eat what, who could talk to whom, how many of the laws did you have to follow...etc) in these churches and they were trying to figure out how to make this new life in Christ work. Paul reminds them that we must put to death the hostilities we have toward each other even when we don't agree. We have access in One Spirit to the Father (v. 18). He doesn't tell us that the differences don't exist, but the hostility has to go.

Not only does Paul acknowledge our differences which still exist today, but he goes further v. 21-22 “in him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.”

This is totally amazing. Jesus is our cornerstone and with him, each other and those who passed before us we are joined together and grow into the temple of the Lord. The temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed at this point, and he is reminding those who knew it and those who only ever knew pagan temples that God no longer exists in a building. God is within in us. We as a people are the dwelling place for God where all are welcome as one family.

We are one people despite our denominational titles. We are one people despite our theological differences. We are one people despite our differences. We are the people of God. We are one family in which all are welcome. We are the temple of God, the dwelling place here on Earth....

Take a minute. Let the implications of that resonate. What does that mean? How does that make you feel? How does that change us? As individuals? As a people? As a Church? As the dwelling place for God?