Ephesians 2- Andy's thoughts

“But God who is rich in mercy…”
There are times at our Sunday worship services when the music especially speaks to my soul. Recently, I was reflecting on the song, “Jesus, I my Cross.” I love the deep truths of which these lyrics remind me.

Destitute, despised forsaken, Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition, all I’ve sought or hoped or known;
Yet how rich is my condition, God and heaven are still my own

When I read this chapter of Ephesians, I am moved by the words that God is rich in mercy. I love that I can sing “yet how rich is my condition, God and heaven are still my own.” In this world, I know that life is not always the way we want it to be. But nonetheless, I can have hope and joy and strength because God is rich in mercy. Out of his great love, he has shown me mercy. As Jeremiah writes in Lamentations, “his tender mercies are new every morning.”

Some of this chapter is very familiar to those of us who have been around churches a while. Ephesians 2:8-9 are often quoted in presentations of the gospel. What strikes me is the combination of those verses with verse 10. It is comforting to know that God has created me for a purpose, to be like Christ in doing good works.

To the person who posted the comment (jerseygirl8483), I am thankful for your comments. I am so sorry to hear about your loss and I know that no words can begin to package all of the emotion that you must feel. I am thankful that you have opened up about your experiences and am thankful that you are joining us in reading God’s words to us. Thank you. I also want to say, if it is okay, that I’m glad that I can rejoice with you in the knowledge that your brother is now enjoying his rich inheritance.

One in Christ: Haoles, Bennies, and Muggles
Some years ago, I did a talk entitled “Haoles, Bennies, and Muggles.” Some of you may recognize some or all of these words. Haole is a term that I learned when I visited Hawaii. It is the Hawaiian word for non-Hawaiian. For Jersey shore natives, we know what a Benny is (though I’ve heard various theories on the origin of the term). And in the Harry Potter world, a muggle is non-magical person.

The reason why I mention these terms is that it occurred to me that almost every culture or group has a word for non-group members. We are bombarded with a “us-them” mindset. We are taught to label the “other” or the outsider. In Paul’s culture, the Jews had a term for the non-Jew. It was Gentile or “goyim.”

What is so beautiful about God’s love is that it tears down the wall that separates Jews from Gentiles, jersey shore folk from bennies, the “in group” and the “out group.” Some of us may have felt like the “uncircumcised” (the Gentiles or the outsider). Some of us may have felt like life-long insiders. Regardless of where we have come from, in Christ we are now joined together as a big family.

I know that in ORB, we have tried to reach out to the person who is living “in-between” (I’m using a lot of quotes in this posting… hmmm). I hope that we continue to do so and that those who feel like they don’t clearly belong in any set category will feel like they do have a home in our community. The same grace and love that brought historic enemies together 2,000 years ago is still restoring broken relationships.

Application:
• If you have been around ORB a while, try to make someone who may feel like an outsider more a part of our community.
• If you are new to ORB, try to reach out to someone who has been around a while and get to know him or her.