Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

"And yet. Those are my two favorite words," he said.

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When I first started teaching freshman English in 2014, Night, the Holocaust memoir by survivor Elie Wiesel, was on our reading list. Elie Wiesel was still alive at that time and, a few years prior, had recorded a special with Oprah in which he told his story as they walked the haunting grounds of Auschwitz concentration camp, where he spent a large portion of his time interned.

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At one point, Elie says this line that has forever stuck with me: "And yet. Those are my two favorite words." He loved them because they signaled hope to come in the face of despair. The night was dark, and yet, the dawn did come.

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I always found the hope Elie held to be remarkable, and I think I loved this moment in his conversation because it reminded me of the hope I have in Christ, too. By the grace of God, I have not suffered in this life as Elie did. And yet, I do feel darkness in this world. I feel its weight and the pressure it applies in an attempt to snuff out the light. And yet, I can have hope because I know that "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5).

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Paul points us toward this same persistent hope in today's passage. In Ephesians 2:11-12, he paints a bleak picture of our condition apart from Jesus: Separate. Excluded. Foreigners. Without hope. Without God.

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And yet. By the blood of Christ, verse 13 says, we have been brought near. We were once far away - the night was once at its darkest. But, friends, that is not the reality we live in when we are in Christ. When we are in Christ, we have peace with God (Eph. 2:14). We have a living hope (1 Peter 1:3). We are no longer foreigners; we are citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20). We're not excluded, we are grafted into the family of God (Rom. 11:17). And instead of being separate, we believers can all be united in Christ, just as Jesus prayed we would be (John 17:22).

That's not always what the church looks like, though, is it? But when Jesus was on earth and he prayed for me and for you, the thing he chose to ask his Father for was unity - that believers far off would be united in him.

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Why would Jesus pray for this one thing specifically? Was it just because he wanted the family to all to get along? I think more likely it was because unity bouys hope - as in, it helps it float. All throughout Night, what keeps the hope of Elie and others alive is each other. As he loses his family and friends, his hope slips more and more, and as unity dissolves in the camp as it becomes every man for himself, the more drastically hope also dims.

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So, how's your hope today? Are you keeping the and yet we have in Christ in sight?

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Perhaps the way toward the same kind of hope Elie found isn't just "looking at the bright side." Maybe it's what Jesus prayed for us - unity. Paul says that without Christ we were alone, abandoned, excluded, outsiders - utterly without hope. And yet, in Jesus, we have been brought near...to what? Near to God, at peace with him. Near to Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor, Savior, Lord, and Friend. Indwelled by the Spirit of God. And included in the family of God, forever.

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What might it look like for you to lean into unity today? It probably won't mean agreeing perfectly with everyone you ever meet in God's family - agreeing is just one facet of unity. But it might mean opening your heart to a life group, choosing to be part of a family. It might mean joining the mission of ACF through a serve team or giving, choosing to unify your time and resources with the church's collective mission. Or it might mean pursuing unity in your family by choosing one way you can lead your family or friends toward Jesus this week in a deeper way.

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Life may feel dark...And yet, we can pursue unity today, friends. I challenge you to try, and just see what it does for your hope.

Dear Jesus, Thank you for the cross! Thank you for drawing us near and unifying us under your banner. Show me how to pursue unity today in this family, that my hope would be bolstered and shine like a light in the darkness around me. In your name, Amen.