Pastor Tom Johnson, July 22, 2012
Paul wants us to remember the walls that separate us from one another. When Paul wrote these works, walls encircled Jerusalem and other cities in Israel—walls defended and protected them from their foreign neighbors. There were also walls in the Temple. The Holy of Holies was one walled area that only the high priest could enter once a year. Another walled area was where sacrifices were made—only Levitical priests could enter there. Only Jewish men could be in one walled area and Jewish women in another walled area. And, finally, the Gentiles, the non Jews, could only come as far as the outer courts—all separated by walls—each wall distancing another group of people from God—not able to come any closer to the place where God met His people.
Today, we have walls that divide people all over the world—walls along the border of the United States and Mexico, walls that divide Palestinians and Jews in Israel, walls that divide North and South Koreans in the DMZ, walls that divide Protestants and Catholics in Belfast, Ireland. These walls are constructed to protect borders, to keep people from moving freely from one place to another, to distinguish and separate one people from another, and to stop violence. Even around our homes we have walls—gated communities to keep out unwelcome guests, fences for privacy and to contain the family dog, and walls to clearly establish what is ours and our neighbors.
But walls cannot deliver true peace. Walls may stop the movement of people and even shield us from harm. But walls cannot change the human heart. Walls do not bring us together—walls keep us apart. Walls do not encourage conversation—walls close off communication. Walls do not end violence—walls may hold it at bay. In fact, these walls we build—whether they are physical walls, social walls, racial walls, or economic walls—these walls can often times create resentment, anger, and hostility. They can aggravate rather than resolve conflict. It’s why Paul calls the Jewish and Gentile wall “the dividing wall of hostility.” This is the worst kind of wall—a wall based on ethnicity, gender, and religious background—especially a wall that keeps people from knowing God’s universal love—His love for everyone in his Son, Jesus Christ.
Many of you know my friend and colleague, Pastor Therwanger. He has a poster of Berlin in 1989 on his wall. It says, “Never forget the 70,000.” He told me the story behind the poster. On October 9, 1989, 70,000 people were protesting the wall between East and West Germany. The Nikolai church had been hosting “peace prayers” every Monday for 7 years. They were praying against the division between the two Germanys—the wall that divided people—East from West Germans. The wall represented two opposed ideologies—socialism and capitalism. The wall separated family, friends, and a common people—the wall tore apart people with a common history and language. The most amazing thing that day was not the 70,000 protestors. It was the East German police and military with their machine guns and tanks pointed at them. They were ordered to stop the demonstration. But they could not fire a single shot on these peaceful protestors. The police and military stopped believing in the wall. As a result, there were more protests in Leipzig and in Berlin. On November 9, exactly one month later, 10,000 East Berliners rushed toward the wall and forced them to open the gates. East Berliners and West Berliners begin to chisel, chip away, and dig through the wall toward one another. They were one people who no longer believed they should be kept apart. The wall was torn down because of a mutual respect and love.
Our Scripture tells us that Jesus has torn down the walls—“He has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility”—the wall that separates us from God and the wall that separate us from one another. Jesus has died and rose again to “create in Himself one new person in place of the two so making peace…and has reconciled us both to God in one body on the cross.” Jesus has eliminated any basis upon which we human beings would want to harm one another, go our separate ways, or live divided and segregated lives. Now that Jesus has torn down and razed the old, useless walls, he has begun a new building campaign. Our Scripture gives us a vivid picture of this new building project—a new citizenship, a new household, and a new temple. God is building us up, stone by stone, brick by brick—one human being at a time. Each stone that is laid is not there to keep us apart—but to bring us together and make us one. We are no longer aliens and foreigners—but are now fellow citizens of the Kingdom of God. We are no longer enemies and strangers—but are now sisters and brothers of the household of God. We no longer far off from God and worshiping Him—but we ourselves are the holy temple of the Lord.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said that Sunday morning worship is the most segregated hour of the week. I am so grateful that is less true here at First Saint Paul’s! For though we have distinctions, we have no divisions. Though we have differences, we have no factions. We may have different native tongues but we all fluent in the Good News of the Gospel. Some of us are darker, some are lighter; but we all reflect the true light of Christ. We can celebrate diversity and unity. We are many; we are one—one people, one temple, one family, and one dwelling place of the Spirit of God!
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