3-4-2022

 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 the mid 1960’s, Simon and Garfunkel released a song entitled “I am a Rock.”  It was about a person who was in love and then hurt as a result of it.  There is one verse that 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

    Many of us feel and live this way. At some point in time, we were hurt so we refuse to ever feel again. We believe that we can avoid pain by locking our self away from everyone and everything. Initially, this may seem like a good idea but soon we find we are lost and without hope. 

     One of the real dangers is that we view all others as rivals and enemies. We never trust anyone, and we never let anyone close to us. When we do this, we look at all the ways we are different from other people. We focus on these differences and use them to support our “wall.”  By looking at how others are different makes it easier to build and fortify the walls.

    This makes us very easy prey for the devil. He loves people who “wall” themselves off from others, especially if they try to wall themselves off from God. People do this when they think they have all the answers to life and that they know what is best. They have no need for anyone, including God. So, in our own selfish, sinful way; we build walls and reinforce them to keep others out, especially God.  In all these efforts, we make our selves enemies with our neighbor, our self, and our God.

     God knew that there was no way we could survive behind our walls and that there was no way that we would ever try to dismantle these walls; that is if we even knew they existed. Jesus came to this world to bust it up. He came to break down the walls that you and I built. The walls behind which we hid and held tightly to our heart all the anger, hatred, and hostility. Jesus came to destroy the pain and the evil. Through his atoning death on a cross, he smashed the walls that locked us from God. We are now reconciled to God, and we can be reconciled to each other.

    God designed us to be social beings. We are to be companions to each other. Sin and the devil convinced us to build walls. Thanks be to God that Jesus has destroyed these walls and we have hope. We have new life in Christ; so, with those walls broken, try to reach out to someone this week that seems to have a wall still up.

Dearest Father, thank you for sending Jesus to destroy the walls of separation and hostility. Give us the courage to leave the walls down and live in the love and fellowship that you want us to have. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,                          

Pastor Bret