God does miracles ... even this

By Jessica Brodie

“Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us. He canceled the detailed rules of the Law so that he could create one new person out of the two groups, making peace.” (Ephesians 2:14-15, CEB)

God can do all things. He made the universe. He made the world. He made us all. He has a plan, and He always works all things to His good purpose.

And that is why—even amid arguments and worries and legal disputes and other ways we simple, non-divine human beings attempt to solve problems—I am resting calmly, safely and securely in the faith that God is with us all and will see us through everything.

I’m talking mainly about disagreements over human sexuality, which I continue to believe is an issue we need to keep on the backburner in favor of prioritizing keeping our heads and our hearts wide open as we make disciples of Christ. I think the more we make of this, the more we attempt to “solve” any dilemma, the bigger it becomes. Instead, I propose seeing beyond it to the God-light shining through all the cracks and crevices. It’s there. It always has been. And if we can just focus on that, it’ll be OK.

Paul reminds us in Ephesians that God, through His son Jesus our savior, miraculously knitted two divisive, polarized bodies into one. Jesus isn’t just the way to heaven; He’s the way, period. Through Jesus, problems are solved. Through Jesus, we see the world is just the world—temporary and filled with obstacles that don’t mean much in the big picture. It’s our ability to get past these obstacles and embrace the one overarching important thing—God and His eternal Kingdom—that is our earthly challenge. And we can do that only when we let go of ourselves, our worries and our all-too-human fix-it tendencies and realize there’s one way: Jesus (who is, of course, “the” way, the truth and the life).

Christ can heal broken marriages. Christ can bring peace between warring countries. Christ can mend the worst racist divisions and blend a beautiful God-color where before was only pain. Christ can take sinful, brutal evil people and open their eyes in an instant, watch as they’re forever changed.

Christ can do all this; so let’s just count on Him to handle our worries and any fear of a schism and trust that He’ll carve a path forward for our church that glorifies the Kingdom. No matter what.

Christ is, after all, our peace.