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 MEDITATION:

Written by Mark Roberts, a contemporary pastor, author, and speaker. He is the Executive Director of the Max DePree Center for Leadership at Fuller Seminary. This is an excerpt from his work “Another Great Omission.”

I’ve written about what might be called “The Great Omission.” It has to do with how we understand our salvation in Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 reveals the astounding good news that we are saved by grace through faith, not by our works. But all too often we omit that fact that our salvation is so much more than a “ticket to Heaven.” In fact, we begin to experience salvation in this life because we are “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (EPH 2:10). We are not saved by good works but for a rich and full life of doing good works that God has prepared for us.

If the first “Great Omission” comes in Ephesians 2:10, I would suggest that the latter portion of Ephesians 2 might be called “Another Great Omission.” You see, Ephesians 2:11-22 reveals further dimensions of our salvation given by God’s grace. This passage shows how salvation transforms, not just our personal lives, but also our relationships, our lives in community with others. The cross of Jesus Christ is meant to transform social structures and even cultures. Salvation has everything to do with how we live together as well as how we live individually. In a day in which we are committed to ending racism and mending the damage it has done, we need Ephesians 2:11-22 now more than ever.

As you go through this day, keep your eyes open to seeing how sin is manifested in broken relationships and social structures. Allow the Lord to give you a new perspective on the world in which you live.

PRAYER:

Written by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), a minister and activist for the American civil rights movement.

Ever present God, you called us to be in relationship with one another and promised to dwell wherever two or three are gathered. In our community, we are many different people; we come from many different places, have many different cultures. Open our hearts that we may be bold in finding the riches of inclusion and the treasures of diversity among us. We pray in faith. Amen.