28 October 2020 – Ss Simon and Jude

You are no longer strangers and aliens,
but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone..
From Ephesians 2: 19-22, NRSV

Being a Roman citizen was a privilege that non-Roman men would serve 25 years in the Roman army to gain. There were many degrees of citizenship but it is clear that this understanding of citizenship was so strong that it was a meaningful way of describing what happens in baptism to people living in Ephesus – part of the Roman Empire but not guaranteed to give you the rights of a Roman citizen. Baptism brought believers into full membership of the household of Christ – astonishingly, equal citizens with the great prophets and apostles who served as founders of this household that was expanding to fill the Empire and would, eventually, encompass the world.

• • Does citizenship matter as much in our own day?
  • What does it mean to belong to the household of Christ?

Spend some time reflecting on the privileges of citizenship – of your nation – and of the household of Christ. Ponder also the responsibilities that go with that.