Thursday, May 7, 2026

Opening Scripture

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:13-15

Opening Prayer

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.  They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. Such

is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob. Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—he is the King of glory. Amen! (Psalm 24)

Daily Bible Reading

Ephesians 2:11-22

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)—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. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 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, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Reflection  

Until now, Paul has addressed his letter to the Ephesian Church as a single unit. In today’s passage, he acknowledges “the elephant in the room.”

It’s perhaps difficult for us to understand the deep prejudice that existed between Jews and Gentiles in the first century. For hundreds of years, the Jewish nation had embraced and preserved its identity as “the Law-abiding people of God.” Through generations of oppression and occupation, they had maintained that sacred status. Over time, the nation developed a collective mindset: If you weren’t Jewish, you were “the enemy,” including the half-breed Samaritans.

The typical morning prayer of a Jewish man was, “Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who did not make me a Gentile, a slave, or a woman.” Clearly, there was a mixture of pride (hubris?), privilege (prejudice?), and appreciation (entitlement?) in the Jewish identity as “God’s chosen people.”

Circumcision was a key component of the Jewish national identity and an easy way to separate the “sheep” from the “goats.” In their minds, it was them (God’s chosen and “circumcised” people) and everyone else (the “uncircumcised” Gentiles). “Circumcision” became a moniker for an entire way of life built around strictly keeping the Law of God.

Of course, prejudice goes both ways! The Gentiles were as dismissive of the Jews as the Jews were of the Gentiles. Jewish culture and customs were misunderstood and mocked by the rest of the Roman Empire. There was a constant underlying tension – and occasional open hostility – between Jews and the rest of the Roman population.

It’s in that context that the Church was born at Pentecost. While the first Christians were all Jewish – thanks to the ministry of Paul and others – it didn’t stay that way very long. Far from Jerusalem – in Ephesus and beyond – non-Jews made up a large part of the Church. It is to this group that Paul now speaks.

Historically, the Gentile believers lacked five “privileges” that the Jewish believers had enjoyed for centuries:

• They were not looking for the coming Messiah.
• They were not citizens of the nation of Israel.
• They were not participants in God’s previous covenants.
• They did not possess the hope of God’s future deliverance.
• They did not know the God of Israel.

All of that is in the past. “Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” The Gentile believers have now come near to God – and to the Jews – by faith in Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection.

The Gentiles didn’t become Jews, and the Jews didn’t become Gentiles. The “mystery” of the ages – God’s great plan of redemption – is that both Jew and Gentile believers would become something brand new: the Church. Followers of Jesus – Christians – are a “new humanity” unlike anything else. The Greek word “new” here (kainos) means “fresh, innovative, nothing like this has existed before.”

Paul explains that Jesus’ sacrifice accomplished two remarkable feats. It established peace between Jews and Gentiles, and it established peace for them both with God. Jesus’ death made keeping the Law irrelevant, so the Jews had no advantage, and the Gentiles had no disadvantage. As such, Christ has “made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.”

This “new humanity” that God has established is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” This is what launched at Pentecost! Paul explains that the Church is a holy temple that God is building, and he describes its foundation, formation, and function.

The foundation of the Church is the teaching and ministry of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In construction, the chief cornerstone must be carefully placed because everything else is aligned with it.

The formation of the Church is under the direction of Jesus. “In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.” The Church is a living organism that’s constantly “growing” and “becoming” as new believers are “joined together” as part of it.

The function of the Church is to be a dwelling place for God. While each individual Christian is a “temple of the Holy Spirit,” in today’s passage, believers collectively come together as a corporate dwelling where God lives by His Spirit.

Because of the way Paul constructed his letter, we’ll look further at all this tomorrow.

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Communities

As a result of our fallen nature, negative emotions like selfishness, pride, and prejudice come very easily to us… even as Christians. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul warned the believers about “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, and factions,” calling them “acts of the sinful nature.”

These sinful acts – and the sinful attitudes that prompt them – have been part of the human condition since Cain killed his brother Abel. They were still very much in play when Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians almost two thousand years ago. And (look around), they’re still all too common today.

It’s relatively easy for us to call out the intense prejudice and racism that first-century Jews had for non-Jews. But what about in our own lives?

When we pledge allegiance to King Jesus – becoming members of His family and citizens of His kingdom – we lose forever the right to choose whom we will love. That means prejudice, hatred, and racism simply are not an option for us.

Our church has a document entitled, “FBCA’s Position on Bullying: A Commitment to Compassion and Justice for use in our Children and Youth Ministries.” The introduction says, “guided by Biblical teachings and a commitment to Christlike love, we stand firmly against bullying… emphasizing compassion, justice, and the call to uphold the dignity of every individual.”

While bullying typically involves aggressive behavior and an imbalance of power, it has underlying similarities with prejudice and racism. They all usually include a stereotyping of certain traits or characteristics – often physical or ethnic in nature – that are targeted. Mocking, exclusion, contempt, abuse, and even violence can be expressions of all three.

The FBCA bullying document goes on to say, “Racism in any form is sinful. Unfortunately, racism still exists in our society and serves as a reminder of the brokenness of humanity. In our church, we must address racist behavior and language whenever there are occurrences of such.

“FBCA understands that bullying will occur in a broken world with sinful, fallen people. We strive to be responsive, Christ-like, and healing in such instances. We believe that people are created in God’s image and strive to help each person see others as God sees them.”

The idea that Jews and Gentiles could be brought together to become a “new humanity” known as the Church was mind-boggling in the first century… until God accomplished exactly that.

The idea that a diverse group of people from an array of backgrounds in our highly polarized, politically-charged society could come together as the body of Christ may seem equally inconceivable, but – praise God – it’s happening!

Are you holding on to some old prejudices?

Is there anything you need to turn loose of?

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!