OPENING COMMENTS
As we continue through Ordinary Time in our liturgical calendar, our theme for the ninth Sunday after Pentecost is chosen by God.
The selected passages talk about the connection we have with the divine, emphasizing that this connection isn’t created by our efforts but God’s.
The sermon text comes from Ephesians 2:11-22, and it identifies our connection with God as much more than membership in a family or even a church.
- New Humanity … New creations … New Position
- Position — not to be confused with Condition
Brought Near by His Blood
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh — who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands —
12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Christ Our Peace
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,
16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.
18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
Christ Our Cornerstone
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
SERMON
God’s Family Tree
Ephesians 2:11-22 (NRSVUE)
Has anybody here ever had their DNA tested through a direct-to-consumer company, like AncestryDNA or 23andMe? [wait for responses] Did you find out anything surprising? [wait for responses].
Where we come from matters to us, and we’re shaped by the stories we tell ourselves about our ancestors. Think about how we as Christian believers have been influenced by the story in Genesis about Adam and Eve. For some Christians, the story of Adam and Eve, especially Eve’s enticement to eat the “forbidden fruit,” has resulted in church practices and doctrine that treat women unfairly at best and misogynistically at worst. This is just one example of the way ancient biblical stories can be interpreted to oppress some people, emphasizing “power over” rather than “power with.”
Other more modern examples of oppressing people might include US Supreme Court rulings in the early 1900s that restricted civil rights and even citizenship based on the “one drop rule,” which said that anyone with just one black ancestor would be considered black. This use of ancestry information prevented interracial marriage and upheld white supremacy. Other US laws were created to control Native American populations.
Since much of the Bible, especially the Old Testament, is an account of God’s relationship with the nation of Israel, you can see how those of Jewish descent might interpret the story as an indication of their superiority over other ethnicities. After all, other biblical stories, such as the covenant God made with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-4; Genesis 15) show God’s commitment to Abraham’s descendants. It’s easy to look at the “winners” in your genealogy and assume you’re special. But our sermon text this week challenges that assumption and points us back to Jesus.
Let’s read Ephesians 2:11-22
The context of Ephesians 2:11-22
Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus to encourage unity while he was in Rome under house arrest. The church was made up of Gentiles and former Jews who lived in a wealthy port city known for its temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis as well as it’s citizens’ love of learning. We need to place ourselves in the historical and political scenarios of Ephesus at that time. Princeton Seminary scholar Sally A. Brown writes this about how “politically charged” Paul’s talk about peace would have been during that time:
Roman emperors, Augustus in particular, were hailed as the semi-divine inaugurators of an unprecedented peace that would settle the turbulent rivalries of the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. This Roman brand of ‘peace,’ of course, was an enforced peace wrought through military dominance … ‘He [Christ] is our peace’ (Ephesians 2:14) would be a pronouncement bordering on treason. What is being claimed, after all, is that despite all the swaggering claims of Rome’s emperors, true peace has been inaugurated by a man the empire crucified.
The first part of chapter 2 in Ephesians addresses how the readers (including us) have been lifted out of our broken manmade systems and selfish, egoic mindsets and then changed by the grace and love of God:
You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, doing the will of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else, but God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:1-5, NRSVUE)
We have been “made…alive together with Christ.” The first part of chapter 2 emphasizes that this aliveness was not our doing; it was God’s grace through Jesus Christ.
Not the result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:9, NRSVUE)
By reminding readers of Ephesians that we have been made alive in Christ without any effort on our part, Paul sets the stage for our sermon text and his argument for unity. Let’s examine three ways Paul argues that Christ has established unity among humanity: dividing wall broken, a proclamation of peace, and a holy temple.
Dividing wall broken
Paul makes the point that there were plenty of differences between the Jews and the Gentiles. One of the biggest differences was that of circumcision, which Paul describes as an act “made in the flesh by human hands” (Ephesians 2:11). Paul contrasts the practice of circumcision with the power of inclusion wrought by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13), establishing that Jesus Christ is our peace. In some mysterious way, Christ has unified in his very body Jew and Gentile, and in a modern application, we can say Christ holds all together in unity: Blacks and whites (and all other colors), male and female, Israelis and Palestinians.
Paul goes on to elaborate how Christ has done this in Ephesians 2:14-16. The “dividing wall” of the law/commandments/ordinances has been broken down. No longer could the Jews have an air of superiority over the Gentiles, believing they were “right” and the Gentiles “wrong” when all were part of “one new humanity in place of the two” (Ephesians 2:15). The Jews were not the only ones who put up walls. Barclay writes that “the ancient world was full of barriers,” citing an example from the writing of Cicero that said, “All men are divided into two classes – Greeks and barbarians.”
It’s easy for us to think poorly of the Jews’ snobbery over their traditions and customs, but as we seek to apply biblical principles to our modern lives, we need to ask ourselves these hard questions:
- What group of people do I routinely criticize?
- What group of people do I find it hard to see as human beings, worthy of respect and love?
- Whom do I view as very different from me?
Instead, we must focus on bringing near those we feel are different from us, those we regard as “other.” Barclay’s Commentary says that “when the rabbis spoke about accepting a convert into Judaism, they said that he had been brought near.” For us, drawing near those who seem different from us might mean praying for them and blessing them, sharing meals, or working together on a project to improve community life for everyone.
A proclamation of peace
Jesus Christ proclaims peace to both Jews and Gentiles by creating a “new humanity in place of the two.” Notice that the Gentiles did not have to become Jewish converts but were fully accepted into Christ in their “Gentileness.” They were not expected to conform to Judaism (see Paul’s letter to the Galatians). This unity in Jesus is welcoming and hospitable, founded in peace because of the Holy Spirit’s presence and work.
The unity offered in Christ should give us a moment’s pause to reflect on how welcoming and hospitable we are to those who think differently or look differently from us. As the Director of Beyond Ministries Kyle Fever writes, “We in the church should not presume that those outsiders need to become like us. The church should be a light that paves the way by welcoming both Jew and Gentile and uniting them into God’s mission in Christ.” Fever goes on to note that many churchgoers are quick to label people as “conservative” or “liberal,” American or Muslim, and other binaries rather than recognizing the complexities of being human and focusing on loving others the way Jesus loved. In simpler terms, no one needs to become like me or us; Christ leads all to become more like him.
Jesus took those “who were far off and…those who were near” (v. 17) and reconciled them. Paul uses language his ancient audience would be familiar with, contrasting “strangers and aliens” with “citizens” and “saints,” to help them understand the depth of peace that could resolve such deep-seated hatred and distrust.
A holy temple
Paul tells his readers that they (we) are citizens and saints and “members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19), part of a holy structure that has Jesus Christ as its key touchstone. Not only that, but this holy temple is a spiritual “dwelling place for God” (Ephesians 2:22). We are not only part of this “household” as we attend worship services, but because the crucified Christ has brought peace by breaking down the walls that divide, we live into a life where love and kindness build bridges of unity. By remembering God’s constant presence with us, we grow in our ability to love others. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us this:
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19, NRSVUE)
Sometimes this verse is used to make us feel as if we are constrained by God, not permitted to embrace our personalities or gifts fully and authentically. But what if this verse is read and interpreted like this?
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not [on] your own?
As God’s holy temple(s), we are much more capable of loving others when we embrace who we are in Christ and understand that the Holy Spirit is always with us. We can trust the Holy Spirit to lead us toward greater kindness, hospitality, and unity.
God’s family tree isn’t an organizational chart. There’s no hierarchy with the Jews listed on a higher rung than the Gentiles. There are no special lines on God’s family tree for weekly churchgoers with only a faint dotted line for those who attend on Christmas and Easter. Our genealogy is found in Jesus Christ, and it’s not based on what we have or haven’t done, our ethnicity, or any other factors that typically divide. Based on our sermon text for today, there should be no comparisons, no “us vs. them” thinking. Instead, there’s only love and acceptance and peace for all.