Ephesians 2:17-22
“The church isn’t what we say it is,” the woman said after someone treated her unkindly after worship. “We want to believe that we care about everyone who comes through the doors, but that’s not true.” The person she was talking to felt conflicted. Although recognizing the reality of her friend’s deep hurt, she had also seen the church welcome hurting people and make them part of the family. She finally responded, “Maybe we proclaim the church that God wants us to be, even when we are not there yet.”
Christ proclaims peace to those who are far off and peace to those who are near (v. 17). The war is ultimately over. We are no longer outsiders or aliens, but fellow citizens with every other. We belong to the household of God. No longer wandering exiles, no longer strangers or outsiders, everyone belongs here. God is building a household and including us all, irrespective of how we got here.
In Christ this household of faith 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 (vv. 21-22). We are an unfinished people; our efforts in living out the peace that God has made for us are incomplete. But even though we know the hurt of conflict and imperfection, Christ’s peace is at work in us, growing us into the people God intends us to be.
Consider
In what new way is Christ’s peace working within you?
Pray
Pray that the peace of Christ will help you grow into the person God desires you to be.