Do I belong?

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)

If you have ever been somewhere in the midst of a crowd of people but find yourself feeling very 'alone' even in the midst of the crowd, you are not alone. There are times when we feel like strangers even among those we know pretty well. You might call it an 'emotional funk' or even an 'odd feeling', but whatever you call it, you don't feel like you 'belong' at that moment. Now, imagine living life like that all the time. Wouldn't that be horrible to go through life feeling like you don't 'belong'? In Christ, even those who don't 'belong' anywhere else can find a forever family! We are no longer strangers - we are citizens of God's Kingdom. We are family!

With Christ as our cornerstone, the apostles and prophets as our foundation, we are sure to be built solid. A cornerstone serves one purpose - it is the first stone set, assuring all other stones are in perfect alignment. It gives stability to the structure being built. We might not feel very strong on our own, but when we are aligned with Christ as our cornerstone, all the 'building' within our lives will be aligned with his will. This is indeed good news because apart from that 'right alignment', our loves would be pretty wonky! We need his stability - his strength. The cornerstone also 'orients' all other stones that go into the building - ensuring the 'geographical location' of the building is correct. We need Christ to keep us 'pointed toward' right living, don't we?

We aren't a 'lone stone' - there are others, correctly aligned with the cornerstone, who make up this thing we refer to as a 'church'. It isn't a physical building, but rather a group of individuals who have chosen to live out Christ's mission and calling together. United together through Christ, we no longer need to feel like strangers in a foreign land. We come from all walks of life, bringing all manner of talent to the table, and create a framework by which each of us is made stronger by the other. Within the 'four walls' we frequently call a 'church' is the real church - his people, united together, strong in his Spirit, and mighty in his power. Just sayin!