Jan 17 2019 Eph 2: 11-22

So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

The writer of Ephesians is talking to a group of “gentiles”, a term referring to anyone not the people of Israel. These people previously were not worshippers of the God of Israel, so according to the law at the time, would not have been included in God’s redeeming love and salvation. This would happen either the result of where they were born, or what/who they chose to worship. In any case, they were outsiders.

The letter to the Ephesians was written while Paul was being held in prison for being a follower of Jesus. He’s continuing to extoll Christ as Lord and this section we read today is encouraging this group of non-Jews in Ephesus to be strong in their faith that through Christ, all are made one. Those who are ‘far off’ was everyone who was considered an outsider, or collectively called the gentiles. There are no more outsiders, when it comes to God’s love, even though some were born Jews and some not.

Ah, to believe in the all-encompassing, border-smashing, radically-welcoming love of God, through Jesus Christ.

And here we sit, thousands of years later, continuing in our limited, bordered, unwelcoming world. In my mind, of course we shouldn’t be building walls, or deporting. But this isn’t just about those other people who build walls, or aren’t welcoming. We all have someone or some group who would not be welcome, who’d be considered outsiders. For some it’s a bright political line – republican v. democrat. For others it’s where you fall on a social issue, like homelessness, or taxation, or the military, or. . .

If pressed, I’d say that my ‘gentiles’ or those far off would be people who are mean, unwelcoming, self-serving, bombastic. My groups of outsiders would be people who espouse a political or social agenda which leaves no room for discussion or no room for anyone who disagrees. This is true on both sides of the aisle or issue.

And yet, Paul is saying that Christ came to bring peace to the outsiders and insiders as well. God loves those on my side of an issue, and those on the other side. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, “God loves you, but he loves your enemies too”. And we are called to that love too.