What God Is Building

I have always liked the passage in Ephesians 2, where Paul lays out the purpose of the Body of Christ. I especially like The Message paraphrase by Eugene Peterson:

"God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home. (The Message, Ephesians 2:21-22)

I believe that this understanding of who we are as the church is at the center of why we support the church with our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. God is building a home in us, not of brick and mortar, boards and stones, but of faithful community. The foundation has been laid by prophets and those sent to proclaim the Good News. The cornerstone is set in Jesus Christ. And ours is a dynamic building, taking shape day after day, built so that the name of Jesus Christ may be known. We are like the Temple in that God lives through our words and our action. God, by the Holy Spirit, resides in us.

Ephesians 2:22, paraphrased by Peterson, states that we build a place where God is quite at home. I appreciate that Paul's observation to the Ephesians mentions nothing about the design, the furnishings, the style or worship or the stained-glass windows. Paul points out that God is pleased when the building starts with the cornerstone of Christ and has a foundation of those saints who have proclaimed the Good News of Christ's salvation.

This is the building in which we have been included. It is living and breathing God's will. At Brighton First we are building a place for people to grow in relationship with one another and with God. Together, we have taken the responsibility of the faithful saints who have gone before us and we build in anticipation of those who will follow.

We are hopeful builders, trusting that God is using us so that others may come to give their lives to Jesus Christ. We are all being used differently, but for the same purpose. We pray, serve, teach, give, worship and witness. We use our skills, resources and gifts for the unified purpose of living out God’s reign in this world.