Our place of belonging is rooted in Christ.

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“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.”
Ephesians 2:19 New Living Translation

I’ve seen a number headstones similar to this one during my thirty-two years of ministry. This headstone looks much like those at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Colorado except for three letters: CSA, Confederate States of America.

Tincup Cemetery, Colorado

Private Landon H Keyes was a soldier in the 35th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry. How did he get to Tincup?

Undoubtedly he saw the horror of war. The 35th was the first to arrive at Gettysburg. Though holding the perimeter, they saw plenty of carnage. Not only did they see the ugly effects of battle, this cavalry unit was known for causing carnage as they patrolled the border of northern Virginia.

What part did private Keyes play in the American Civil War? Was he wounded? Did he kill someone? What was his journey that brought him to Colorado? It would seem that he, a southern confederate soldier, was out of place in the Colorado mountains.

Maybe that is the way that you feel in the Christian church. You feel out of place. It would have been the feeling of the first Gentile converts to Christianity in what was predominantly a Jewish faith.

As Christ was lifted on his cross he gave you a place of belonging. You belong to him. No matter how out of place you might feel in the Christian community, you belong to Christ.

You are not out of place!

Copyright Douglas P Brauner