Last week, we began looking at Paul's letter to the Ephesians and tomorrow we will conclude our reflection on this letter. Today, Paul puts the focus on the magnitude of this calling to be Christians and also the unity that Jesus envisioned at the Last Supper.
We know that we are not worthy of salvation, nor are we worthy of the gift of faith. Paul tells us that our behavior must be in line with the gift we have received – humble and patient, loving and peaceable.
We are called to build bridges and not to create division. Nothing pleases Satan more than seeing Christians fighting with one another.
Unfortunately, division has been present from very early days, but Paul and the other apostles worked very hard to spread the Gospel message clearly so that unity would prevail, not the "gates of hell" that Jesus spoke of when he told Peter that he was the rock upon whom he was building his church in Matthew 16.
I have found that the best way to build bridges is to work together and that means getting to know one another. I once was working with a group of teenagers and invited a minister in to speak with them.
He spoke about how he lived his Christianity which was kind and generous, as we all should live. The thing that surprised me was that he was brought up to be afraid of people of other Christian faiths!
How can we build bridges if we are afraid of others who share our belief in Jesus?
I don't know the answers; but I do know that Jesus wants us to try.
