My side. Your side. Their side.
- 11 hours ago
- 2 min read
Ephesians 2:13-18
But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace…He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Sometimes it feels like the world is made of lines. My side. Your side. Their side. People draw those lines in schools, families, churches, and online. And once a line gets drawn, it can turn into a wall. A wall of silence. A wall of jokes that sting. A wall of “I’m not talking to them.” A wall of hostility.
Into the midst of this world of lines and walls Paul speaks a good word:
“He himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14, NIV).
Not “He gives peace,” like a gift you open and then forget. Not “He teaches peace,” like a lesson you study. Paul says Jesus is our peace. Peace has a name. Peace has a face. Peace has scars in His hands.
And then Paul says Jesus “destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14, NIV). Hostility is that mean, hard feeling that grows when people don’t trust each other. It makes you assume the worst. It makes you label people. It makes your voice turn sharp. But Jesus put hostility to death “through the cross” (Ephesians 2:16, NIV). In other words: hostility doesn’t get the last word. Jesus does.
That’s why this fits our theme: A resurrection-shaped voice is a voice of peace. If Jesus is alive, then peace isn’t just a nice idea. Peace is something Jesus built with His own life. He built peace and tore down walls of hostility. And if He tore down walls, we don’t get to spend our lives building new ones.
So what does a resurrection-shaped voice sound like?
Ø It sounds like someone who walks toward others instead of away.
Ø It sounds like someone who says, “You matter to God.”
Ø It sounds like someone who stops the “us vs. them” talk.
Prayer: Jesus, You are my peace. Tear down any wall in my heart. Make my voice a voice of peace, so I sound like You. Amen.
Have a great day!
-Martin's Lutheran Church
