No Longer Strangers
For Meditation
In this passage, Paul famously calls the church “the household of God.” In the ancient world, the household was the extended family that included not just the nuclear family, but all those who were under the care and protection of the patriarch of the home-- servants, friends, extended relatives, and all who found solace there. Early Christians took this model of “household” and used it as an image for the church, with God as the Father who has now opened up his household through the work of his Son, Jesus Christ. Now as brothers and sisters of Jesus, we are welcomed into the household of God by grace and called to live out this new family culture within the church.
This Sunday we’ll move into our third practice in this current sermon series, “Make time to gather with your community.” In light of this passage, what does it mean that our church is not only our place of worship but also our community and spiritual family? What does this mean for how we arrange our lives and habits?
As you prepare for worship, reflect on a time when you felt most “at home.” Pray that the Lord helps our community to embody the characteristics of God’s household.
Ephesians 2:13, 18–22
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.