Ephesians 2:13-22
13But now in Christ Jesus [those] who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. 17So he came and proclaimed peace to [those] who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.
Breaking Down Walls
What a great pleasure it is to be back in Cuba, and to be with the sisters and brothers of the Fraternity of Baptists in Cuba. My first trip here was in 2008. I remember walking around the park outside the Capitolio...and being surprised to see a sculpture of the face of Abraham Lincoln. I remember asking our guide what significance this statue of Abraham Lincoln would have had in Cuba, and our guide said something like, “Why not? He was a good guy!” Lincoln was committed to keeping the United States together during a time of many divisions. In the year 1858, just a few years before the outbreak of the Civil War in the United States, Lincoln addressed the social division in the United States over the institution of slavery using the words of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
Our reading from Ephesians deals with houses – or congregations or countries – that are divided, needing reconciliation. St Paul in his letter to the Ephesians praised our Savior who gathers. In Ephesians, Paul was writing to predominantly Gentile, non-Jewish congregations, which apparently felt some alienation from Jewish converts to the way of Jesus. Paul wrote to remind them that both Jewish and non-Jewish followers of Christ were one family, that through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the walls dividing Jew and non-Jew were broken down, that though, like all families, they may squabble from time to time, they were nonetheless all one family,
As I was preparing to join with the group of visitors from the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ to the Fraternity of Baptists in Cuba, this passages of Scripture, which was read in many of our churches in the United States on Sunday, July 22, seem amazingly appropriate, indeed, almost divinely ordained, for this visit. Some political leaders, particularly in the United States, are really good at building walls, and not so good at breaking them down. Political calculations make it difficult for Cubans to visit the United States. Political calculations make it difficult for citizens of the United States to visit Cuba. “El bloqueo” has imposed tremendous suffering on Cuba. Unfortunately, at the present moment, that’s what the political process has to offer.
From other political leaders in the United States and elsewhere, we hear uplifting messages about globalization – and, indeed, wouldn’t it be wonderful to rid ourselves of the nationalistic barriers that divide us, to think of ourselves as one human race. What a wonderful world that would be. But the global capitalism preached by our political leaders, whose political campaigns are funded by huge corporations, isn’t about global reunification, but, rather, about global exploitation, draining resources from around the globe while being beyond the scope of any one nation’s laws, and therefore accountable to nobody. In this model human beings all around the globe are sheep to be fleeced, or lambs led to slaughter.
But in Christ, it is a different story. Christ has broken down the dividing wall, the hostility cultivated by political leaders. Christ proclaims peace to those who are far off and peace to those who are near – and given the current political divisions, the United States and Cuba are separated by a geographical distance of just 90 miles and by a political gulf so enormous it’s nearly impossible to measure, much less cross. But where political leaders proclaim locked doors and economic leaders find new ways to exploit the needy, God opens a door to a different path, a different way forward. Even our respective governments recognize the unique value of church dialogue. Because we – we in Cuba and we in the United States – are church, under the care of the church we can visit one another in a way that those outside the church cannot. It is only because of Christ that we, Cubans and Americans, can be in this one room together. Where political leaders proclaim fear and suspicion, the Gospel proclaims reconciliation and reunion. We are in different geographical locations, different social settings, different political configurations – but in Christ we are one. The Fraternity of Baptists in Cuba is committed to breaking down the walls of race, gender, class, sexual orientation – and in the United Church of Christ, we share these commitments. And these commitments to breaking down walls have been costly commitments, for the Fraternity of Baptists in Cuba and for the United Church of Christ. So in Christ we are united; there is no separation between the Fraternity of Baptists in Cuba and the United Church of Christ. Here, in this place, we can see Paul’s words come to life, see Paul’s words put into action. This meeting, our being together in this place, what we experience *today*, is a strong witness to the power of Jesus Christ to gather those who otherwise would be scattered.
Your congregation shows us the way forward. With your ecological gardens and sustainable agriculture, you’re showing that “another world is possible,” proclaiming the countercultural message of the reign of God, which grows like the seed in your gardens, feeding the hungry and bringing hope to the hopeless; proclaiming the gospel of Christ which is living water, like the lifegiving water offered free of charge by many of the Fraternity of Baptists in Cuba congregations. And so Jesus Christ, who has broken down the walls between us, has made a way for us to be with you and to learn from you.
[At this time, the floor was opened for others to share testimonies of how Christ has broken down barriers for them. This was followed by a closing prayer.] Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment