8th Sunday in Trinity: Ephesians 2:11-22

July 22, 2012; 8^th Sunday in Trinity; Texts: Psalm 23; Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 6:30-44: The Best Broken Wall; Rev. Tim Beck

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

What does the Apostle Paul say matters? Peace matters. In the midst of war, soldier or civilian is glad for peace. When personal relationships are in turmoil through anger, bitterness and suspicion – we are glad for peace. And you were at war with God and each other, but through Christ received peace. There’s been an amazing change in and through Christ: you received peace. Some folks deny human history is a war against God; but who can explain the bizarre fight against the good law or the gift called grace? What explains those who say kill Christians, or burn Bibles or God doesn’t exist, or who bow to a pantheon of gods all-together like us? The evidence of the war against God is everywhere… from indoctrination masquerading as science to destructive ideologies pretending to be moral.

          Even if your war ended, even if baptized as infants and growing up believing the marvelous Gospel, all of us know the war in our evil desires. Even after Christ brought peace, simultaneously saint and sinner as we are, the battle continues in our flesh. Does your eye linger on the scantily clad? Does your ear tune in a tasty rumor? Does your tongue let slip unkind comments? Who feels no temptation but the dead? Feeling temptation tells us there is much in us against God that can be aroused. So we understand hostility and how wonderful its end; how blessed peace with God, and peace in relationships, families, churches, and one day, that Great Day, in the world. Wouldn’t it be great if the war in Afghanistan ended because everybody suddenly made peace and called the United States “Papa?”  Of course, that’s ridiculous.

          That sounds ridiculous, until we consider the context of our Epistle reading: The Jews called the non-Jews “You dogs!”  That’s the name for wild dogs that     roamed the city, hated by women, feared by children. These animals ate refuse, they stank and carried disease. That’s what Jews thought of non-Jews for their lawlessness to the ceremonial precepts. In return, Gentiles shouted, “You atheists,” because Jews refused to worship the local gods, sneering at the values that held society and commerce together. Jews were hated for offending local customs, treating those who lived their first like dirt, not even speaking to them. That’s the way of enmity. You’ve tasted it, like the savor of bitterness, prejudice and contempt. But something changed when the true God, the jealous God, the God who is jealous for us sent His Son… and when the Son, the Christ, fulfilled the law. Jesus died under the law, cursed on a cross for Jew and for Gentile, for all. Christ answered every accusation against Jew and Gentile in His body and with His blood, to make peace with God.

          Christ reconciled us, announcing peace so that our enmity against the Living God might be healed. Christ reconciled us, announcing peace so that all who believe in Him are adopted as children of peace.  Christ reconciled us, announcing peace so that by faith the terrible divisions between Jew and Gentile, between all sinners, can be cured. And in the early church unto today, we rejoice because the enmity was ended between us and God, and so between each other. Forgiveness does that. The two parties Paul lists now party together in the same Supper, sharing Christ’s       very body and blood in one confession. All believers share in one body, one Lord, one faith, one baptism in the peace of Christ, in a peace that can only be found in the church, the church bearing the fruit of that peace.  From the beginning of the church non-Christians noted the peace between Jew and Gentile, slave and slave owner, male and female, rich and poor. Christians were known for peace, unless persons fell to sin or heresy and then fell under law, and sparks flew until repentance and forgiveness restored them. Every Sunday the early church shared the peace of the Lord, not to chat or say hello to friends, but to reconcile where needed. At that place in the liturgy those offended or offending confessed their sins before God, and to each other, and were absolved. With the pastor’s absolution “the peace of the Lord be with you,” Christ’s body expressed that reconciliation with a holy kiss of peace. Then they communed together in that marvelous fellowship in Christ’s very body and blood.

          Christians today of all colors, ages, clothing styles, body piercing, collar stiffness have peace with God and each other, in the same way. We don’t live tit for tat. Tit for tat becomes rat-a-tat-tat.  Tats don’t tear down the wall of bad done and good undone, wrong attitudes and acts, the hurts and wounds that we use as mortar and brick to wall out heaven.  Such construction, earthquake reinforced with resentment, shuts out neighbors and a compassionate God. Thank God the law continues to show the ugly buildings in our soul. Thank God He aims to kill hostility, but not by executing you or me. Thank God, He paid our war damages Himself, to join us to Him.  It’s as if President Obama emptied his bank account to recompense the victims of Osama bin Laden, then reached out his hand into Osama’s dark hole to say, “You’re pardoned. Let’s be friends.” But you know what really happened and needed to happen according to the realm of law. Civil government isn’t the kingdom of grace. It is rule of law and must be. But if we demand God accepts us through the law, if we reject grace, we’ll get the treatment any terrorist deserves.

          That’s why Christ came to pull us out of a dark hole, and more. He bids us receive His death in our place, live in His forgiveness, and rejoice as His adopted heirs. How does that reconciliation come to us?  How is Christ’s forgiveness announced to those who dig deep holes, peeking out to shoot at God or man? Some messenger stands on the rim of that hole and shouts, “Hallo, you down there. I’ve got a message for you.”  Someone delivers good news that although the law condemns you God’s word of pardon forgave you, to raise you out of that pit. Whoever delivers good news risks getting shot; yet the news of God’s grace, mercy, and peace is welcome to many who are crushed by the law. So in their time prophets and priests proclaimed law and gospel. After Christ’s resurrection the apostles proclaimed, and now pastors are commissioned for the same.  In all times, all in the priesthood of believers share the same hope, as taught by the apostles and prophets. And the church need do nothing more than speak the words of The Word, to declare the message we received, to declare peace. Peace comes in the announcement of peace, while the church inevitably does more, in mercy and fellowship together, in living that peace.

          In contrast, Jeremiah describes shepherds who brought war. If you read the context of the Old Testament passage at home you might be surprised. It wasn’t failing to say peace. The bad shepherds said, “Peace, peace.” The problem was there was no peace.  Those shepherds didn’t point out the deep pits their people dug. They destroyed and scattered the sheep of God’s pasture when they said, “God won’t bother about the holes you dig; He loves you too much!”  They failed to say God is not pleased with your hostility to Him or to each other. Return to Him and be reconciled.  So the people of Israel became complacent in sin and patterned in hostility, except for a remnant that listened to Jeremiah. They cried out, “Lord have mercy!”  They confessed their sin before a righteous God and received not a slap, but forgiveness and reconciliation. Then they understood the promise that God would raise up a king called, “The Lord is our righteousness.”

          There cannot be peace without righteousness.  It won’t do for a government to overlook someone like Osama Bin Laden, someone who continues to blow innocent folks to bits.  Likewise before God, righteousness will be upheld. That’s why the Son of God became incarnate to bring a righteous peace. He didn’t ignore the law. He taught it, obeyed it, and suffered for it to fulfill it for you. He preached peace, a costly peace, a peace that cost Him, being buried in a deep hole, conquering hell’s pit for righteousness sake. But that war ended all wars, when the good shepherd became the sheep marked for sacrifice… when He abolished the ceremonial law that created a terrible barrier between Jew and Gentile; when He abolished the law’s demands against us, freeing us from the hostility of our sin and delivering us from a just condemnation. Like a ridiculous judge who wraps his arms around the convict and says “I paid the price; I can and will forgive you, you’re out of jail. Come home with me!”  Lawbreakers like us were reconciled to the Almighty, baptized into Jesus Christ’s death, and so joined to each other.  Lawbreakers like us are given a new identity, and given the Holy Spirit for a guarantee, for newness of life, to share in Christ’s resurrection.

          He makes us the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, a holy sanctuary of the Lord, Jesus Christ Himself the Temple, we sharing in His peace; we sharing intimately          in the Holy God.  Consider days of old, when Gentile believers could only enter their court, farthest from God’s presence. Then Jewish believers entered their outer court, while only purified males entered the inner court.  In the temple proper, only the priests entered. Into the Holy of Holies where God’s presence dwelled, only the high priest entered once a year to offer sacrifice for sins. Consider the separation from the Holy God. But when our Lord died the curtain that separated the holy of holies from the people was torn in two. And the peace of God was announced for all flesh, so that He might dwell in you;      that you become like the holy of holies, the very dwelling place of God. But you say, what about the quarrels I start with my Maker, my family, my friends, my enemies?  How could God love me… and so purify me?”  He, not you, tore down the dividing wall of hostility. He built something righteous in its place that fulfilled the law. He built you into the righteousness of grace, imputing it to you.   And you who confess your sin receive the very righteousness of God in absolution, our Lord’s kiss of peace.

          Because of that, you receive the Holy Spirit who gives you holy desires; and you, declared righteousness in Christ; He builds into His habitation, a temple of peace. The Lord is building you, the baptized, through daily repentance and absolution, through hearing His peace-giving Word. The Lord is building you by feeding you the Sacred Lamb.  He bids you to a fellowship meal unlike any other on earth. It is his testament for you, a testament testifying you are reconciled to God. This testament declares sins are forgiven and heaven entered. It testifies all who rightly eat and drink share the same body, built into one body. It not only proclaims peace, it strengthens you to seek and speak peace. And faith receives Christ’s righteousness so that faith becomes a fit dwelling place of God. As Jeremiah prophesied, The Lord is our righteousness.  Like the remnant in Jeremiah’s day who repented their sin and looked to grace, you too by faith receive this peace: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our righteousness.