Tear down this wall!...

Ephesians 2:14  "For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall..."

Somewhere in my desk drawer is a nickel-size piece of concrete.  It is irregularly shaped, having been been chipped off a large wall.  Not just any wall.  It is a souvenir a friend gave me from a trip to Germany in the early 1990's, a small remnant of the Berlin Wall.

For decades the Berlin Wall stood as a formidable barrier, a death-if-you-dare-cross-it divider between East and West Germany, between Communism and Democracy.  On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan stood before the Brandenburg Gate and issued the now-famous challenge to the leader of the Soviet Union, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall..."  Two years later, in November of 1989, the wall came down.

Jesus is the ultimate destroyer of dividing walls.  By means of His death, He fulfilled all the demands of the Law and made it possible for all people to find peace with God and with each other.  Paul refers to the barrier between Jew and Gentile, but the ramifications are much more extensive.  Jesus is our peace in every situation, in every relationship.

We inevitably find ourselves in occasional conflict with one another.  Satan, the wall-builder, uses misunderstandings and hurts, sin and suspicion, anger and frustration, to erect seemingly insurmountable barriers between us.  But Jesus is the "barrier-buster".  Because we are His children, His Spirit - the "Spirit of Peace" - lives in us and relentlessly urges us to dismantle the walls.  Forgiveness, given and received, is His wrecking ball.  If we allow His grace and mercy to live in us, no wall can stand forever.

Lord, please shine Your light of truth in every corner of my heart this morning.  Examine me thoroughly. Reveal any walls, any barriers that I have erected and help me to tear them down.  Remind me of unresolved conflicts and give me the courage to confront and resolve them.  I need Your Peace.  Amen.