Ephesians 2
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Reflection:
Always looking in from the outside? Supposedly part of a team, but not really belonging? In Ephesians 2, Paul affirms that though we were once regarded as strangers and foreigners to the people of God, today we belong as fellow citizens and family members. This truth removes any doubt that together we are members of God’s household. Though not related by physical blood or birth, we have the same Spirit living inside of us. Consequently, for some of us we no longer need to feel like the outsider, and for others of us we no longer need to view fellow brothers and sisters as strangers. Together, with Christ as the cornerstone, we become God’s temple. And as God’s temple we are the place where God’s presence is made real in this world.
Response:
No longer regarded as strangers by God, we are also no longer strangers to one another. And because we are fellow citizens let us not attempt to live out our calling as individuals. Today let’s pray for an increase of real community in our ministries. May our relationships with one another be based not on personal likes and dislikes, but based on the Spirit who lives inside of us. Let’s also pray for fellow brothers and sisters who have been living on the “outside.” As the Spirit attests in their hearts that they belong to the Lord, may they fully enter into God’s household.
