Acts 10:28 And Peter
said to them, “You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate
with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone
profane or unclean.” (NIV)
It was a turning point in Peter’s
ministry. He thought that his mission for Christ was to be narrowly focused on
his own people, but God showed him dramatically in a vision that the Gospel Peter
was preaching was for everyone. It was a remarkable event in Peter’s life, so
when folks approached him on behalf of an outsider – Cornelius – the Big
Fisherman knew that God was calling him to bring Christ’s message of salvation
and grace to those who were least like him. As Peter confessed at that time, “God
has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean.”
In our current divided and
fragmented society, it’s very easy to think of others who have different
opinions, ideas, and lifestyles as being subhuman, wicked, and unworthy of our
prayers, compassion, or care. It’s far easier to put people in biased boxes so
that we can ignore them completely. Giving them labels allows us discount their
situations and disregard their grievances. We can even force them to live in
ghettoes or lock them up in cages in order to get rid of the annoyance of
having to deal with their problems. However, in doing that we set aside the
Gospel of grace and disrespect what God has shown – that we should not
call anyone profane or unclean.
On Wednesday nights, our
wee church is actively attempting to reach a turning point with our
BridgeBuilders program. We want to learn from others what damage has been done
to them by racism and prejudice, biased systems and manipulation. The
discussions we are having are not easy to hear, but the only way to bridge the
gaps that we have created or allowed is to actively listen to what people of color,
creed, or orientation have to say. By doing this, we hope to reach a point
where we will call no one profane or unclean. We will see them as the Lord
does: children of God in need of love and grace.
Point to ponder: Who
am I prejudiced against? How does God see them?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, being
a Christian is never easy because You challenge us on so many different levels.
We justify our biased ways and validate our judgment of others. Forgive us for
being morally profane and spiritually unclean. Heal us of our blindness and
open our hearts to embrace all of God’s children. In Your Holy Name, we humbly
pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor
of Erin Presbyterian Church in
Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to learn more about our Bridgebuilders
program, please visit our website for more details at www.erinpres.org.
Today’s image is one of
John’s drawings called “A New Earth.” If you would like to view a larger
version, just click this link: A New
Earth.
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