Ephesians 2: One in Christ
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
This month we have reflected on the names God gives to us so that we might call on God when we mourn and when we celebrate. We have also considered the names Jesus shares with us, Good Shepherd, the Gate, Bread of Life, the Way, Vine and Branches, the Truth, the Light, Life. These images give us tools to connect with the human Jesus; a link to our shared divinity in God’s creation.
We have recently reflected on the names Christ gives us as we work in God’s Kingdom: Children of God, Friends of Jesus, Salt, Light, and Yeast for the world, Temples of the Living God. With these appellations, we examine our fears and joys. With these definitions, we explore our motivations and inspirations. With these invitations, we determine our tasks as we work together in God’s glorious and great work of art. We celebrate our oneness in Christ, our unity in the Spirit, our beauty as creations of God’s marvelous hands.
In our union with Christ Jesus, [God] raised us up with him to rule with him in the heavenly world.
This is an offer we will want to accept.
God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus, [God] has created us for a life of good deeds, which [God] has already prepared for us to do.
This is work we will want to join.
So then, you . . . are not foreigners or strangers any longer; you are now citizens together with God’s people and members of the family of God. You, too, are built upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, the cornerstone being Christ Jesus himself. He is the one who holds the whole building together and makes it grow into a sacred temple dedicated to the Lord.
This is a truth we will want to affirm.
In union with [Christ], you too are being built together with all the others into a place where God lives through the Spirit.
This is a story we will want to celebrate.
Remembering that we are one with Christ and all of creation, we repeat verse 10 of Psalm 16 as an antiphon when we pray today: For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor let your devout one see the pit.
When we use the scripture link to compare other versions of THE GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION of Ephesians 2, we begin to more fully understand that we are God’s wondrous work of art. We are one with Christ and all of creation.
Image from: https://centerpointroseville.org/media/series/yd8jgyv/one-in-christ
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