The Cross and the Chasms

A sermon on Ephesians 2:11-22

Liturgy using the themes of the sermon and Ephesians 2:11-22 is here.

A Prayer of Intercession using this passage is here.

Introduction

Today, we gather to worship in a time marked by division and hostility. Just last week, an assassination attempt on a former President resulted in the loss of an innocent life and traumatized hundreds of others. This is not an isolated event but is in a long line of violence that speaks to the growing tension within our nation.

Over the past several years, we have witnessed politically motivated violence and a growing chasm between different groups of people who hold differing political opinions. For example:

• Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot in 2011.

• The Charleston Church Shooting took place in 2015 and claimed 9 dear souls.

• In 2017, there was a congressional baseball shooting, in which House Majority Whip and Republican Steve Scalise was critically injured.

• In 2018 packages containing pipe bombs were mailed to prominent Democratic politicians

• In 2020 the FBI thwarted a plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

• The Capitol Riot in 2021 tried to prevent the transfer of power to the duly elected President.

• In 2022, the husband of Nancy Pelosi was severely injured by an intruder who was motivated by his political beliefs.

This violence is bad. We must wake up.  

Once our streets and front porches were lined with American flags. Now, flags with vulgarity fly at intersections and front porches. People place vulgar and sometimes violent bumper stickers on their cars for young kids to read while running errands with mom or dad. It’s bewildering and is not normal.

Christians are called to be the light in the darkness and to set an example of unity and virtue amidst our differences. Our passage speaks powerfully to our current cultural moment and provides us with a blueprint for reconciliation, unity, and peace.

1. Separation (Verses 11-13)

In 1961, the Soviet-backed East Germans erected the Berlin Wall, physically and ideologically separating East Berlin from West Berlin. It divided families, friends, a city, and a nation. This wall was a barrier to the free movement of people and ideas.

We may not have a physical wall, but a times it can feel that there is a division in America.

Paul mentions the dividing wall of hostility. This was literal and metaphorical. In the Temple in Jerusalem, there was a wall that divided the Jews from the Gentiles. A warning sign was present, promising punishment for anyone who crossed the dividing wall-the pain of death. This type of division was present in public also through the attitudes people held against one another.

The Roman Empire was a machine that conquered lands and people and then exploited them. The Empire drained people of their wealth and then threw those people together and put them in a pressure cooker-type situation. They competed with one another. It was us versus them. There was hostility based on social ideologies, personal beliefs, family background, or region. People grouped themselves by likeness to survive.

We may not have a physical wall like the Berlin Wall separating us, but there’s no question that we are divided. The symptoms are getting worse and more obvious.

People act like “us versus them” when they feel threatened, but why do they feel threatened? Why is it us versus them instead of us as Americans?

There’s more than one reason, but from a biblical perspective and from a pastoral perspective which draws from the accumulated wisdom written down over 4,000 years in Scripture, the reason is quite straightforward—the issue is idolatry. This is what happens when you elevate politics to the level of religion.

Over the past 40 – 50 years, Americans have stopped congregating for worship during the week. The statistics bear this out. In those worship services, they would hear themes of unity, peace, reconciliation, togetherness, service, sacrifice, forgiveness, duty, honor, and reaching out to others. They would hear about being part of something greater than yourself and accountable to your Creator.

That was our moral and civic formation. If God is not the center and the ultimate, something else will be. For some it is sports, and for many, many others politics has been elevated to religion and their political leaders to the levels of God. That is when we make something good ultimate and that is when it becomes bad and hurtful.

Every God demands a type of discipleship. Either we have a discipleship under Jesus or we get discipled by our favorite newscasters or cable channels, whose profits depend on our stirring us up and getting us emotionally hyped. Their discipleship is division, but Jesus’ goal is to unite all people into one family.

We may not live in the Roman Empire, but it’s no wonder we feel tension and alienation. It’s the water in which we swim.

Paul says to his audience, you were far away from God and one another, but now in Christ Jesus, you who were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

At times anger, like tender in a fire, is ready to be stoked. Christians have a role to play in calming the tensions and not fanning the flames.

The Ephesian Christians were a miracle. A major transformation had taken place. Though these two groups were living in one Empire but alienated from one another, through the message of Jesus, they are united in the church where they care for one another, pray for one another, and in some cases share or sell their possessions to ensure others have enough.

The cross of Jesus is astounding in its power to convey the message that we are to give ourselves for the sake of others. The cross of Jesus reaches out over the divisions and bridges the gaps. It is literally a picture of God reaching out to us. The divided and highly inflamed Ephesians heard it and it humbled them and the dividing walls came down.

I was at my grandparents when the news came on the television that the Berlin Wall was being torn down. I remember people standing on top of the wall celebrating, pulling others up. They each took turns with saws and sledgehammers, pushing and pulling until sections of the wall came down piece by piece.

At long last, by perseverance, patience, and hope the wall came down and the people came together.

Just as Christ brought the Gentiles near, we are called to reach out, maintain relationships as best as we can, and bridge the divides.

What we receive from God, we are to share with others. Paul moves the conversation from separation to reconciliation.

2. Reconciliation through Christ (Verses 14-16)

“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 . . . that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.”

“Christ is our peace.” Paul means that by entering discipleship under Jesus, we learn to have peace with one another. Christ has broken down the dividing wall of hostility.

Christ came into the world to reconcile us to God and each other, breaking down the walls of hostility and creating a new humanity where we are united in him.

Our society is filled with walls of hostility—political, racial, and ideological divides. Yet, Christ has shown us a different way. All of those are forms of idolatry that are ultimately hurt us and distort us.

He has taken the two and has made them one – in the church. The church is to be the gathering place of the country, where different people and different types of people, created in the image of God, hear the gospel, let it penetrate their hearts, and let the gospel smash their lesser idols.

“So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.”

Christ proclaimed peace to both those who were far off and those who were near. Through him, both groups have access in one Spirit to the Father.

In our current cultural moment, we need this message more than ever. The best way for you and me to love our country is to have this mantra repeatedly playing in our heads: I am a Christian first. The teachings and the gospel of Jesus have the first say in my life. I am a Christian first.

That’s why Paul ends our passage talking about our identity in Christ.

Jesus welcomes us to return to find our peace with one another through discipleship with him.

4. Our Identity in Christ (Verses 19-22)

Paul concludes this passage by reminding believers that they are no longer strangers and aliens but citizens with the saints and members of God’s household. They are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In Christ, the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple, a dwelling place for God.

This new identity in Christ is transformative. It transcends any political, racial, or social identity we may have. As members of God's household, our primary allegiance is to Christ and his teachings. This identity should shape how we live, interact, and engage with the world.

When we are out in the world, we are ambassadors of Jesus. We are examples for those around us. In a culture that has thrown off restraint, we demonstrate the ability to live in the tension and seek to reconcile.

In a society fractured by divisions, we must embrace our identity in Christ and live it out daily. This means seeing ourselves and others first and foremost as children of God. It means prioritizing our faith over political affiliations. And it means actively working to build a community that reflects the love, unity, and peace of Christ.

I’m happy that next week Rev. Josh Bode will be here to talk to us about this very topic. This is the history of our denomination’s work in Oman. We have been actively engaged in cultivating intercultural and interfaith dialogue for decades, often in difficult times and in stressful situations. Our work at the Al Amana Center is world-class and it will make you proud and demonstrate to you what thoughtful Christian interfaith dialogue looks like.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our passage today from Ephesians 2:11-22 provides a powerful message for our current cultural moment. We are reminded of our call to reconciliation, unity, and living out our identity in Christ. In a world filled with division and hostility, we are called to be the light, showing the world that true peace and unity are possible through Christ.

Let us commit ourselves to this calling, seeking reconciliation in our personal lives, promoting unity within our communities, and living as ambassadors of peace. By doing so, we can set an example for others and contribute to a more united and peaceful world.