Paul tells us that Christ Jesus has broken down the dividing wall between those near and those far away, between those who are same alike, as my children used to say, and those who are different in one way or another. It is Christ’s desire to join us all together in love so that we may grow “into a holy temple in the Lord,” that we may be “built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.”

For some reason, we rebel against such peace and reconciliation. We can’t seem to let go of the security that the dividing wall represents, the security of being with folks who think like us, folks who act like us, folks who look like us. Somehow the dividing wall makes us feel special, part of the in-group, so we work hard to rebuild it. We take the stones of our hard hearts, the stones of our sins, the stones of our hatred and bigotry, jealousy and envy, anger and rage and pile them broad and tall. We don’t want to be reconciled to others so we hide behind our dividing wall of certainty, certain that this is the right place to be, the right way to do things, and certain that all others are wrong.

Thank goodness, God has compassion on us. The Holy One doesn’t leave us separated as sheep without a shepherd. The Beloved reaches into our particular situations, casts out our fears, heals our broken-heartedness, and teaches us to love. Christ Jesus feeds us with the joy of communion so that finally we can let go of our stony divisions and trust his reconciling love.