Thursday prior to Proper 11

 

[1]

Ephesians 2:11-22— Reunion is the key concept covering this Sunday’s Epistle; Jews and Gentile together in Christ. Christ has made us one in God and in the church. The heart of Ephesians is in this passage. In Vv. 13-18 we learn of the peace Christ grained between Jew and Gentile. Vv. 19-22 spell out the consequences of that peace.

In the person of Christ and His cross, Jew and Gentile are made one. Christ died for both, and they are one in Christ by faith. Thus, they have an oneness in Christ, oneness with God and with each other. Christ’s death has removed the hostility and cancelled the law which separated Jew from Gentile. The two are now one in the church. The practical result is that Gentiles are no longer aliens but members of God’s family.

Humanity is in a state of hostility. The means hatred, oppression, strife and warfare. The hostility exists among people and between God and humanity. They are out to get each other. In modern times the hostility is evident between classes, races, and nations. We live in a seething global cauldron of hatred.

Peace is the conquest of hostility. It is the work of Christ and a gift of God. Peace is a by-product of a new connection and condition existing between people and between persons and God. By the cross Jesus destroys the hostility, eradicates the Law, and open s up a new reality. Out of this love comes harmony.

Because of the cross, believers are new people gathered in the household of God the church. Individual Christians are held together by Christ just as a cornerstone holds together a building. But the building is not finished. It grows into a holy temple of God. The church is not a dead building but a living, dynamic force that keeps growing not only in size but in truth and grace.[2]

You are a part of these living stones build up to be one in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

A Prayer for Home and Family: Visit, we implore You, O Lord, the homes in which Your people dwell, and keep far from them all harm and danger. Grant us to dwell together in peace under the protection of Your holy angels, and may Your blessing be with us forever; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Prayer the Unemployed: Heavenly Father, we remember before You, those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of work. Lead us so to use the wealth and resources of this rich land that all persons may find suitable and fulfilling employment and receive just payment for their labor; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. [3] Amen. 

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[1] The Crucifixion Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcut copyright ©WELS used with permission

[2] Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series B, John Brokhoff © 1981 CSS Publishing, Lima, OH

[3] A Prayer for Home and Family, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis