Peace & the New Humanity March 1, 2009
Posted by Noel in The Peacemaker Series.trackback
Hello out there. Jesus says “seek and you will find” – well if you are here, wondering if the sermon blog is up and running you are right!!
I didn’t specifically mention the sermon blog at all this morning – I was curious to see what would happen if I didn’t.
For those that missed out, or need a little re-cap we read from Ephesians 2:11-22. I focused primarily on the relationship between peace and the “new humanity” that Paul talked about.
Through the ministry, death & resurrection of Jesus there is now no separation between Jew and Gentile – Jesus cast down the barriers in life and faith to unite us all in the Spirit of God based on His saving Grace. The former “rules”, cultural standards, religious expectations and divisions no longer hold any meaning.
The Kingdom of God that John the Baptist and Jesus both talked about so much is the predecessor to what Paul describes as the New Humanity. All are equal before God, all are to be united together because of the grace, love and peace of Jesus.
Yet human, namely Christian, history shows us that we easily find ways to divide ourselves over small, less-than-significant issues; rather then remembering the new humanity rooted in peace that Jesus came to establish….
Questions for the week:
1. At the end of the service, we spoke “May The Peace of Christ Be With You” to each other…. what did this experience teach/reveal to you?
2. If all are equal to God, including people of other social & religious standing, how are you relating to them this week?
3. Any other comments/questions for each other?
Please click “add a comment” above to list your responses
When members of different ethnic groups were mentioned in the sermon, they were spoken of in a way that assumed their religious viewpoints. I was wondering if the turbaned Sikh taxi driver or the burkha(sp?)-wearing woman at Superstore might not already be Christ followers. Might they even lead us? Just because someone wears traditional clothing does not mean that they cannot also be lovers of Jesus. Can we break down these barriers too? Are you ready to be led by someone of a different ethnicity who even dresses in cultural tradition? What can they teach me?
Oh yes, the former rules have no longer any meaning so why not make a few current ones so that the new humanity has meaning.
Re: Jack
Oh yes, the former rules have no longer any meaning so why not make a few current ones so that the new humanity has meaning.
Jack, it sounds like you really have a different ax to grind. Want to elaborate?
In response to “Jack”…
Maybe the significance for the new humanity as Jesus described is freedom from rules. God gave Israel the 10 commandments, and over the centuries from that point on, the religious leaders created 600+ laws and rules to help follow the 10 Commandments. Rules to follow rules – sounds life giving doesn’t it????
Jesus came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it. HIs fulfillment was that we are called to two simply difficult ways to live:
1. To love God with all our being
2. To love everyone around us equally as much as we love ourselves
do this, and all of humanity will look/feel/smell/taste/see/live different. These are the ingredients for a new humanity?
Do we need more rules?
I agree that Jesus desires to make us into a new humanity. It is a new humanity based upon a new life in Christ.
The problem is there seems to be a tendency within us, probably inherited from Adam, not only to hide from God, but to hide from one another as well. There is a tendency to be suspicious of one another. There is a tendency to judge one another. There is a tendency to build walls to separate “us” from “them.” But Christ has come to bring us together in Him. And in Christ there is absolutely no reason why we can’t come together. No reason, except our disobedience to Him.
I agree that Christ has done away with arbitrary divisions. Butterfly said it well: There is now no division based on race, nationality, age, education, sex, or culture. In Christ the barriers are down. Only through Christ can dividing walls between people come down.
Are there things which separate believers in Christ? If there are, then perhaps it is true that you or they have not found a living relationship with Christ who is our peace. Maybe Pastor Noel is right that we have not loved God, we have not loved ourselves and we have not loved each other. We can be sure that the things which separate us as believers have not been placed there by God. Good fences do not make good neighbors. The God of reconciliation has come to break down the walls which separate us.
But sometimes when we build walls (rules), we don’t know whether we are walling something in or walling something out.
We must be careful not to wall out the presence of Christ, and not to wall ourselves in and find we have built our own prison (rules) of prejudice. Christ has come to set us free.