8-22-2017

Good Morning All,

              Ephesians 2:14; “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility”

       In 1965, Simon and Garfunkel released a song entitled, “I am a Rock.”  Unlike the Chevy pickup commercials, this was not an enjoyable experience.  It spoke of pain and loneliness.  The second verse goes like this: 

   I've built walls, A fortress deep and mighty, 

That none may penetrate. I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain. 

It's laughter and it's loving I disdain. I am a rock, I am an island.

    Maybe this is you.  Maybe you have built walls.  You may have built them in an effort to stop being hurt, to stop feeling the pain.  Maybe you opened your heart and your soul to someone and they crushed you.  Perhaps they rejected you, were disloyal to you, betrayed you or caused you pain in another fashion.  Pain can be one of the greatest driving forces in human existence.  We seek to avoid it at all costs even to the point of building walls around us.

    That is often how we deal with this kind of emotional pain; we build walls.  We build them between our spouses, family, friends, rivals or anyone else who can hurt us.  We build these walls in a false hope that we can protect ourself from pain.

    The problem with this thought is that the only thing we usually accomplish by building walls is to hold in the pain rather than keep it out.  By keeping the pain in, we self-inflict even more pain and suffering.  The stronger the walls; the more effective they are in holding in all the pain and suffering.  The more we suffer, the more we build walls; walls that separate us from those whom we love and who love us.  This is what sin does to us; it convinces us to build walls.  Sin convinces us that being all alone is better than having a loving relationship with those around us.

    Yet we know that Jesus came to bring about healing.  He came to heal all of our brokenness.  He came to break down walls.  The first and greatest wall that he destroyed was the one that separated us from God’s love.  He destroyed this wall and brought us back into his loving kingdom.  He gives us the power to destroy the walls that we have between us and those around us.  His forgiveness makes us his children.  What others say or do; how others react towards us does not define us.  The events of our lives do not define us, God’s grace defines who we are; we are his children, loved by him and cherished by him.  This is what we can cling to.  We don’t need the walls, God grace will protect us.

Father, at times we struggle with the pain of broken and harmed relationships.  This world only gives us pain but in you we have comfort, in you we find hope.  Help us to break the walls and to heal the fellowship that we have with our brothers and sisters.  Be with those who are suffering at this time.  Send them your healing Spirit.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret