Ephesians 2:11-22
Reflect
During this fourth week of Advent, we have focused on the peace of Christmas. This peace centres on the restoring love and power of Christ who is able to set right all that has gone wrong in our world as a result of sin.
Our passage today reminds us that we need to focus on the peace of Christ beyond just its personal implications. While it is amazing that Christ has come so that our personal relationship with God can be restored, we see here that this has implications in our relationships with other as well. Jesus did not come to earth for just one ethnic group, He came for all. He did not just come for people who are “like me” or who are easy for me to like, He came for all. The ground is truly level at the foot of the manger and the cross.
To celebrate Christ’s peace is to see what unites us with other followers of Christ, not what divides us. It calls us to set aside what are often “tribal” differences and focus on the reality of the Holy Spirit’s presence in others. This was not easy for Jews and Gentiles in the first century, as they were often suspicious of one another, often based on lack of understanding. While we don’t often want to admit it, this is frequently the case in our current context as well.
Apply
This Christmas season, how may Christ have you lean more deeply into the peace He came to bring between all His followers? How can you reach out to a fellow believer from a different culture or different perspective on some issue and take time to listen and understand them more deeply? Is there someone with whom you need to seek reconciliation?
Pastor Lyle
Pray
- Pray for our Prime Minister and Premier, Mayor Sohi, your MP, your MLA, and any other government officials God brings to your mind.
- Pray for Dave Schneider, our Youth and Worship Pastor and Erin Gibbard, Youth Ministry Associate.