Devotions
Rev Gav
Brick
Ephesians 2.19–22
You are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.
Reflect
What a beautiful picture Paul paints in this passage from his letter to the church in Ephesus! He envisions the Church (that’s you and me and all Christians) as a temple built on the foundations of those who first taught us about Christ, with Christ as the cornerstone holding the whole building together. And in the same way that the temple in Jerusalem was where God dwelt, so we are the dwelling place for God, for God lives in and through us by the Holy Spirit.
Although we are one Church (with a capital C) we are formed into many small, diverse geographical or online communities. These churches are typically gathered into groups called denominations, each with a different emphasis or style. Now, there’s nothing wrong with denominations. God seeks to reach the whole world with a passionate and unending love, and so we need as many different kinds of church as there are different kinds of people! Some people find and connect with God through nature, others through heritage, others through practical works, others through hospitality, others through silence, others through hip-hop music, and so on! There should be no ‘one size fits all’ church, yet we are all one body because we are all connected to each other through Christ and the Spirit who lives within us.
For a local or networked congregation, what matters is that they are authentic in their worship and mission, that they know to whom they are called to reach with God’s love and serve them with Gods’s heart.
Think about the church to which you belong and see if you can answer these three questions.
- Can you clearly articulate its mission?
- To whom is it called to reach and serve with God’s love?
- Is it being truly authentic in its ministry and mission?
Pray
Holy God
Thank you for the
diversity of your Church,
and for the community
to which I belong.
Help me to engage
in your mission
to reach others
with your unending love.
This day and forever.
and then