Dear Friends in Christ at Peace Grue,
For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, 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 2:14-22
Last summer it was a pandemic plague, this summer a drought and heat wave. Where is God in all this, behind it or working to end it? How much of this is simply the mysterious forces that occur naturally on this planet we call earth? How much responsibility do we humans carry for these odd patterns?
These are complex dangerous questions we could argue over endlessly. I’m not going there. Instead I’m simple pointing out that for many Christians events like these often result in a spiritual struggle. Leading me to ask the question:“When was the last time you felt hopeless?”
Was it a lot of little things all stacking up and then there is one more that shattered your peace and left you feeling overwhelmed? Maybe it was when you made a huge mistake and you were blind to what was happening, or gambled it wouldn’t happen, but now it has as you slide into the slough of despond, unsure of how you will ever recover. Maybe you are losing hope for our country as things are spiraling downward into more intense disagreement, trouble, and tension about the problems or probable solutions. As one pastor said,“We are going to need a whole lot of forgiveness to get out of this.”
People today are as tribal as they were back in Jesus’ day, maybe worse given our 24/7 social media agitating us and encouraging us look at others with disdain. Jesus does not look at us and see women as better or worse than men. Jesus does not look at those with little pigment and think they are better or worse than people who have a lot. Jesus doesn’t see how much stuff or money we have. Jesus sees our broken lives. He sees us as sheep without a shepherd-falling prey to the wolves of our day.
This is the cornerstone of our faith. In our spiritual life it is not our decisions that matter most. It is God’s decision to be for us and with us that is decisive. It is God’s decision that reconciles us to God and in the process one another. As we walk through the seasons of our spiritual live-the highs and the lows-it is God’s gracious undeserved love that makes all the difference. A love seen most clearly in the passion and compassion and commitment of our God in Christ going to the cross to break down walls and start building a new future, bringing God’s healing grace into our lives, our communities, and our world.
Jesus breaks down the dividing walls between us like the old one between Jewish and Gentile people, or current ones like young and old, city and rural, new immigrants and those who have been here for over a hundred years. Jesus breaks down the walls between those who are impatient to change things and those who are comfortable with the way things are. Without him what is our hope? In him, we experience God’s resurrecting grace as we are built into a new creation.
Every day of our life is a critical moment. We don’t always see that but in days of spiritual struggle it is difficult to ignore. These days are good days to read the Scriptures. These are good days to gather for worship as we recall and celebrate God’s faithfulness, especially when we struggle to see it on our own. These days are good days to respond tenderly to others-especially those with whom you differs. These days are good days to humble pray, “Dear God we trust you are with us and for us. Provide gentle rains for the earth and lead us out of this draught. And when all we can see is devastation and despair, refresh us with the wellspring of hope we have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In Christ,
Pastor Dan