Living in the Spirit
July 17, 2015
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22
He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 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.
–Ephesians 2:15-22
I have probably said it before, but I will say it again: there are no borders in the Kingdom of God. Paul talks a lot about the nations. In his day, as now, we must deal with the civil borders drawing lines of demarcation sayings this is ours and this is yours. I suppose it makes things easier to have many nations. The more unlike people who are involved in setting out rules for living in community; the greater the challenge. Although I must say, the artificial borders drawn years ago in the middle east in an attempt to settle disputes have perhaps come back to haunt the world today.
Jesus’ concept of a borderless kingdom is designed to focus its citizens on the more important aspects of life: loving God and loving one another. He seemed to realize without these overriding drivers of human interaction we would never be able to live as one in the abundance of which he spoke. Love first and everything else falls into place.
When I walked through the ruins of Ephesus last year and saw the various gods along the way, I marveled that Christianity ever got a foothold in such a place as this. My god is better than your god had to be played out routinely. It is blatant when gods are represented by elaborate statues, but our world is not much different than Ephesus was when Paul arrived. We, too, have other entities competing for our worship. Jesus was right, of course, loving God and loving like Jesus is the only way we can overcome that which compels us to lesser gods.
Prayer:
Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on Heaven’s tableland,
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.* Amen.
*Chorus from Higher Ground by Johnson Oatman, Jr. see at: http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Higher_Ground/ All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.