“Before and after”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Thursday, January 12, 2023

Ephesians 2:11-22 (Forward, p. 75) CEV p. 1223

Written primarily with Gentile believers in mind, the apostle Paul lays out the incredible and earth-shattering transformation that has taken place in their lives simply because of what Christ has done for them. This amazing transformation might well be summed up under the headings of ‘before’ and ‘after’.

Before Christ Jesus:

-they did not know about Christ;

-they were foreigners to the people of Israel;

-they had no part in the promises that God had made;

-they were living in this world without hope and without God;

-they were far from God.

After Christ Jesus

-Christ made a peace between them and the Jews;

-Christ broke down the wall of hatred that separated them;

-Christ destroyed the Law of Moses with all its rules & commands;

-Christ even brought Jews & Gentiles together in one body;

-Christ did away with the hatred that once existed between them;

-Christ came and preached peace to both Jews & Gentiles;

-we all have access to the Father through the Holy Spirit;

-they are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens and members of the family of God;

-they are together being built into a holy temple as the residing place of God’s Holy Spirit.

Now what may be truly surprising about this—and certainly arresting, I would suggest—is that most of us would fall into the category of Gentiles. That is, unless we are of Jewish stock, we were outside of the hope of entering into God’s promises and plans. We were foreigners to His grace and love and presence. God did not owe us anything, nothing at all. And yet, in Christ Jesus, God has graced us into something that we most certainly did not deserve, and brought us, as full members and citizens, into His glorious family and kingdom. And so, we should be especially filled with gratitude and praise towards Him for His graciousness, and all themore taken up with honouring and obeying Him in ways that befit what He has done for us. Praise be to God for such incredible love and grace. Amen.

Forward notes: “For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us” (verse 14).

“My family immigrated to the United States when I was three years old, so I’ve been aware of things like passports, residency documents, and citizenship from a very young age. I was very charmed as a child that my green card was called a ‘resident alien card.’ Today, the document is much more appropriately called a permanent resident card. But as an Asian American, my experience in this country continues to be marked by this idea of alienness.

“This feeling of not belonging is something I experience in the church as well. As someone who found the Episcopal Church in my young adulthood, I also think about how the former borders of the British Empire shaped the Anglican Communion. Saint Paul reminds us today, though, that all of these things are human and will pass away. Our citizenship is in heaven. Things like borders cut across families and communities. Jesus promises to break down all divisions so that all might know peace.”

MOVING FORWARD: “How might you support refugees and others? One possibility is through Episcopal Migration Ministries [of the Episcopal Church of the United States]. Research their ministry.”