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Ephesians 2:14-22 – New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

14 For Christ is our peace; in his flesh he has made all into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us, 15 abolishing the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16 and might reconcile all to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through himself. 17 So Jesus came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, 18 for through him all of us have access in one Spirit to the Creator of All. 19 So then, you are [all] no longer strangers and aliens, but you are [all] citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the [women and men who were] apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In Christ the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

The Peace of Wild Things – Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

When I woke up on Saturday morning, I went for a walk in Sullivan. As I sometimes do, I took two garbage bags with me, one for trash and one for redeemable bottles and cans. 

The road that I live on does not have much traffic. Hardly anyone drives the road unless they live there or use the lake at the end of the road for recreation. And yet, there is so much trash!

It is painful to bear witness to the apathy toward the land and its inhabitants evidenced by the ever present litter. What hurts the most when I collect the trash along my self-proclaimed one mile stretch of “adopt-a-highway” is that I suspect it is my neighbors sullying their own backyard. The same brands of cigarette packages littering the roadside day after day, week after week, year after year. The same brands of beer and cans of soda. The same refuse from McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts and various other fast food establishments are thrown at almost the exact same location, day after day, week after week, year after year. 

My species disappoints me. 

What do we do with the disappointments in our lives? We can let them, the disappointments, defeat us. Or we can counter them with love in action. 

I choose love. And I know you do too. 

Verse 15 of our Ephesians scripture speaks of one new humanity instead of two. The author of Ephesians was speaking of Gentiles and Jewish people becoming one with God. That was the microcosm in which they lived. These words are still important and true in the macrocosm in which we live today. We are still one human species amid our multitudes of differences. One humanity that encompasses all genders, one humanity that encompasses all skin tones, one humanity that includes all languages and all faiths and all abilities. One humanity that is inclusive of all beings that are created in the image of God. All of us are one. 

We are to strive to be one with our Creator and one with our co-inhabitants of this world. For any that wonder why I strive to be inclusive, why I push myself and you to be expansively inclusive, it is the example of Jesus and other like-minded saints and sinners that gave their all for the good of all by standing up against oppression of any sort. 

In the ancient world, women and girls had no rights. In the ancient world there was a slave class enforced by the elite few. Jesus did not accept any of this as a tolerable norm. He pushed back. He pushed back on the government systems. He pushed back on the very religion and people that he loved. And that is what we are to do when we see injustice and wrongdoing. That is what we are to do when we witness exclusion instead of inclusion. Push back. Stand up. Speak out. 

When we bring Jesus’ teachings forward, we are called to honor the inherent worth and dignity of all whom God created. Jesus was standing with the marginalized of his society. We are to stand with, to help, to do no harm to the marginalized in our society. 

We are still the same people we were last week – these election results do not and cannot change the heart of who we are. But these election results have the potential and the intent to further harm already marginalized people. 

The impending change in administrations has many of these individuals and groups fearing for their safety and security and even their very lives. Who does this include? 

People of color and immigrants and non-English speakers are at greater risk under the new administration. People with disabilities will be at greater risk. LGBTQ+ people will be at greater risk. These are some examples of the people Jesus would have sought to protect from having their rights trampled, their lives endangered, their dignity and worth minimized. And yes, our precious environment, our air, our water, our natural resources are at great risk.    

Our scripture tells us that Jesus came to proclaim peace to all, near and far. That peace is fragile. We must protect it and guarantee it remains available to all of us. 

No secret… last week I, and many of you were hopeful for a different outcome at the polls. What do we do with our disappointment? 

Equally important, what do you do if you are grateful for the results of the election? How do you use this momentum for the good of all, not only for some? How do we keep our national leaders and our people centered in loving action? Centered in love in action? What will that look like during this next administration? 

We need to bridge our differences. We need to listen to one another. We need ethical solutions. There is much hard work ahead of us. “We the people” must uphold what we know to be good and true and right. 

Everyone in this congregation knows someone that will be affected by anticipated changes being planned by the new administration. But that is not entirely the point. More importantly, even if we didn’t personally know who was being affected we should be caring and protecting everyone created in God’s image. 

Everyone is exhausted. Some are more afraid than others. Some have more to fear than others. This is hard work. So, go. Rest in the peace of the wild things, for a time. Trust that the day-blind stars are there, waiting with their light. 

And know this: that none of us can do it all – but together we can do all that needs to be done. 

Amen

Rev. TJ Mack – November 10, 2024