Tuesday, June 1, 2010

What I’m Reading Today: Ephesians 2

If you were to ask me to empty out my pockets on most days, among the usual stuff (i.e. keys and cell phone) you would find an old, crusty-looking silver dollar. The silver dollar itself doesn’t look all that impressive. In fact, the only notable thing about it is that it comes from the 1880’s. Other than that, most folks would completely ignore it.

For me, however, there is something about that silver dollar that makes it much more than just a coin. My maternal grandfather – who died two years before I was born – use to carry that silver dollar around with him for luck each day. Lots of my relatives say that I look a lot like my grandfather and have his sense of humor. So on those days when I carry his silver dollar around with me, I feel a special connection with a piece of my family that I never got to know. What might seem like a silly old coin to some folks is so much more than that to me.

In today’s passage from Ephesians, Paul introduces us to another object whose importance lots of folks underestimate.

That object?

The cross. Many folks look at it and see it only as a symbol of the pain, suffering, and death. For that reason, some folks who are uncomfortable embracing those negative things often distance themselves from the image of the cross.

In today’s passage, however, Paul presents the cross in another light. In speaking of the differences that use to exist between the religious insiders and outsiders, Paul noted: “The cross got us to embrace, and that was the end of the hostility. Christ came and preached peace to you outsiders and peace to us insiders.” In this context, the cross is beautifully presented as an agent of reconciliation and restoration for us all.

Perhaps there is something in your life that has been interpreted by you rather one-dimensionally. As a result, you might have overlooked or minimized that something. If that’s the case, perhaps Paul’s words could motivate you to re-think your approach toward that something. There might be tremendous untapped value in that object you have overlooked that could bring new meaning to your life.

Til next time…