A dwelling place for God.

 

Wednesday, January 3, 2024


Psalm 9

Isaiah 65:1-16

Ephesians 2:11-22


A dwelling place for God.


When we say that God is three in one, we touch on something mysterious. Perhaps one day we might understand precisely how it works. But for now, for practical purposes, for something to actually pick up and make use of, we can most definitely understand what to do with it.


The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are each a distinct Person. Each one has their own self-identity. At the same time, they hold such unity of purpose and opinion, they are one. Three equal Persons, one undivided union.


So when Paul comes along in today’s section of Ephesians, he is at pains to get us to understand the unity into which Christ has brought all those who love Him. To start with, he speaks about the circumcised and the uncircumcised – a flimsy distinction, because it is based on a mere operation of the flesh. A deeper distinction existed, and it was a much more important difference to resolve: we were foreigners to the covenants embodying God’s promise. We were in this world without hope and without God.


If circumcision (or the lack thereof) was a sign of a deeper, spiritual division, then Paul gives us a more universal one: the “dividing wall of hostility” (Eph 2:14). The m’chitzah was a wall in the Temple which had this inscription: “No man of another nation to enter within the fence and enclosure around the Temple. And whoever is caught will have himself to blame that his death ensues!” The Triune God, the many united into one, is the God who breaks down that wall of division; who removes the distinction between operations on the flesh, through the work of Jesus on the cross.


Jesus has taken all of us individuals, with our own identities and opinions, and united us into one body. Through Jesus, the many are also one. God isn’t in a tent in the wilderness, nor is He locked behind a big wall in a Temple. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we who are many are united in the one body, a dwelling place for God.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday, September 12, 2022

  Monday, September 12, 2022 Psalm 33 Habakkuk 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:1-14 In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. The lectionary has taken us from the beloved disciple to one of the most beloved of Paul's epistles: Ephesians. Paul must have loved this church very much: we get a sense of his fondness for them and their shared sense of purpose and worship just from the introduction. In what is likely just an introduction to a letter in the style of the ancient Roman world, Paul has managed to squeeze in the entire, wondrous story of God's work of redemption. Paul has framed it the way it ought to be framed: in a pastoral, encouraging tone. He has three main points here (remember, Paul proceeds logically to build up an argument, unlike John who circles around his main point). First: God intended to save us before the world was formed. Think back to the first l
Read more

“Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.”

  Monday, September 11, 2023 Psalms 28; 29 1 Kings 7:51-8:21 Acts 26:19-32 Observance: Deiniol, bishop (d. 384) “ Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.” The great many blessings of being under the protection of the blood of the Lamb fill our hearts with joy and peace. To have the Almighty Creator of the universe, the One who sits above the flood, filling the temple of our being with the cloud of His presence is what it truly means to be human. Every day is filled with adventure; every night turns to the rest of the victor. Certainly there are chains: sometimes they are physical chains, the suffering of being a Christian among people who do not love the Lord. Sometimes they are spiritual; the attacks of the powers of the air who try to distract us from the One we love. But they always fall away. Our Rock of Ages always frees us; always brings us out of the pit of despair. A won
Read more

Monday, September 19

  Monday, September 19 Psalm 45 Nahum 1:15-2:9 Ephesians 4:17-28 ...be renewed in the spirit of your minds... It is far too easy to read some of these Pauline lists of virtues and vices and feel like we have gone back to the dark days before the Reformation. The idea that if we behave ourselves then we can call ourselves “good people” is pagan, not Christian. Paul feels very strongly about how Christians behave, he “affirms and insists” upon it. But it is because of what has already happened that we should mind our step, not because of where we are going. Christ's resurrection is many things, but one aspect relevant for Paul's teaching this morning is that it demonstrates to us the radical new reality in which we now live. We too have passed (spiritually) from death to life; therefore, we experience a “renewal of our minds”. Instead of treading water until we die, we live lives. Everything now makes sense: God has spoken, so we have logic. God made us in His im
Read more