The Joy of Glory

Ephesians 2 (click here)
For [Christ] himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:14-16 and 19-22)

Reflection
The temple was a massive structure, dominating the Jerusalem skyline. You could literally see it form nearly anywhere in the city. The people lived in its shadow.

This was a constant reminder to all of many things: the presence of God, their call to the law, worship by sacrifice, sin causing separation, etc.  Yet, it not only reminded the people that they were divided from entering into the direct presence of the Lord… it also reminded them of divisions that existed between them and others.

You see, in the temple there were several courts where people could gather. The closest a non-priest could get was the court of the men… Jewish men that is. Outside of that was the court of the women… again… Jewish women. Then came the court of the Gentiles where all others could gather.

There was a division between Jews and Gentiles… a literal dividing wall. Much like there was a massive veil dividing the people from God’s presence in the Holy of Holies.

You are likely familiar with what happened to that veil. When Christ died, it ripped from top to bottom… symbolically showing that through his sacrificial death, Jesus atoned for our sins and opened the way for us to be reconciled with God. He killed the hostility that sin had caused and brought peace!

…but not just between us and God…

We tend to focus only on what Jesus’ death accomplished for our individual relationship with God, and we fail to see what he accomplished in our relationships with one another.

He “has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace…”

There is no longer Jew and Gentile separated by a dividing wall, but all who place faith in Christ are a part of a new humanity… united because of him!

It’s like Jesus’ death tore down the temple altogether to create a new one… not built out of stones with dividing walls, but built out of his people… uniting them together so that they, the church, are the very dwelling place of God!

“In [Christ] you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

We are a community created by the cross! Do we live this way? Or… do we try to resurrect dividing walls of hostility?

If the church has been created by the cross then it is to live by the cross as a cruciform community.

Making Us One
*Lyrics by John-Mark Dorough, Joseph Wolnski, John Ball, Brad Brown, and Jeremy Moore

Father we have wandered
Fashioned empty idols that serve ourselves
Cast in our own image
Remind us who You are

Father we’ve forgotten
That You’ve called us together
To bear each other’s burdens
And worship You as one

Lord You tore down the walls
And You are making us one
Heal divisions between, give us unity
In Your bond of peace

At the cost of our desires
Teach us to be humble as You were
With gentleness and patience
To serve each other’s needs

Father be our anchor
In the storms that can divide us
Teach us how to listen
Build us up in love

Lord You tore down the walls
And You are making us one
Heal divisions between, give us unity
In Your bond of peace

One Word, one truth, one Spirit, one hope
One Church, one light, one body
Found in Christ

Lord You tore down the walls
And You are making us one
Heal divisions between, give us unity
In Your bond of peace

 
*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

1 Corinthians 12 (click here)
For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. (1 Corinthians 12:14-20 and 24b-26)

Reflection
The discs between vertebrae in your spine are so small. I mean seriously… how important could a little two-inch wide circle of gelatin like substance be?

You have no idea!… unless you’ve had one go crazy on you.

I had back surgery in December to fix a herniated disc… and let me tell you… it may be an extremely small part of the body, but when it hurts… the whole-body hurts! It had the ability to put me completely out of commission… bed-ridden… it hurt to move anything.

In truth, every single part of our body is important. Recent science is even beginning to see purpose for the often-insulted appendix! The point is, we can’t just pay attention to the complexion of our skin and the size of our waistline, caring only for the things seen on the outside… no… we must care for our whole body.

God has designed the community of the church to function in the same way.

He has made us an interdependent people… and we need all our “parts” to work. He did this so “that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.” We can’t ignore any member in the body of Christ, for when one member suffers, all suffer together!

Do you see the amazing wisdom of God… he designed our bodies in such a way that they demand our care and attention… likewise… he designed our church community in such a way that demands our loving sacrifice for one another.

He designed us to be a cruciform community.

You are a vital part of the body of Christ! And you are called to show others that they are a vital part of the body of Christ! You are called right into the heart of this thing we call cruciform community.

 
*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

Romans 16 (click here)
I commend to you our sister Phoebe…
Greet Prisca and Aquila…
Greet also the church in their house…
Greet my beloved Epaenetus…
Greet Mary…
Greet Andronicus and Junia…
Greet Ampliatus…
Greet Urbanus…
Greet Apelles…
Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus…
Greet my kinsman Herodion…
Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus…
Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa…
Greet the beloved Persis…
Greet Rufus…
Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas…
Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas…
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites… (Romans 16 various verses)

Reflection
Greetings…

The salutations that Paul gives in his letters, like Romans 16, can be easy for us to skip over, but they should actually cause us to slow down and ponder their beauty. Here, Paul puts flesh and blood on the love and life of the early church.

These are real people in real relationship with one another. It is easy to see that on the local level they are a close knit faith family, and yet they also feel a real, deep spiritual connection with all other churches throughout the world.

This is a community that loves one another, even those they have not yet met. They share a bond in Christ and that is enough. This truly is cruciform community and Paul calls all Christians into it! We are all to “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” Obviously that has some cultural context, but the principle is still true. We greet one another, welcome one another, readily embrace one another… and not as the world does… out of some sense of duty or just to display nice manners. No! Our greeting is a HOLY greeting. It is motivated by the love that God has poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit! It is a genuine, deep love for the other person because they are our family in Christ!

We want the best for one another! We want Christ for one another! And that is why I think Paul shows us that this Holy, faith-family love is not just a welcoming love, but a protecting love!

We welcome others that are a part of Christian community, and we protect this Christian community from people who would not display cruciform love, but abuse the church for their own ends. We guard against divisions!

Paul puts on display for us the two-pronged love we have for all Christians… a love that greets and guards! Even though we have never met most believers in the global church we love them this way… with open arms, and we are ready to take up spiritual arms to protect them!

A cruciform community is one that greets and guards the church!

 
*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.