Grace and equality

Good evening friends,
This week our daily readings turn to one of the key concerns of the Bible: justice. To set the stage today, we get a great passage from Galatians. In this passage Paul is making the point that belonging to God through Jesus Christ isn't about who our parents are or any other human characteristic. Everyone in Christ belongs to God, which makes us equal. There's no room for any kind of discrimination in the church because we are all one in Christ. Many scholars believe that Paul is quoting from words that were already a part of the first baptismal liturgy in this passage.

God bless,
Sam

Galatians 3:25-29

²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, ²⁶for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. ²⁷As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

one from two

Good evening friends,
Please join me in praying for our nation's leaders that we can move forward for the good of the country. We all need wisdom in these times, and God loves to give wisdom to those who ask. Our reading for today is about how God can take the most difficult differences and make one body out of them. No matter how different we are, in the church we belong to God through Jesus Christ, so we are one.

God bless,
Sam

Ephesians 2:11-22

¹¹So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision” —a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— ¹²remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

¹⁴For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. ¹⁵He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. ¹⁷So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; ¹⁸for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.

¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, ²⁰built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; ²²in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

preaching and hearing

Good morning sisters and brothers,
First, a reminder that Sunday in worship we'll be celebrating graduates, so if you're graduating from any program, we'd love to have you to celebrate with us on Sunday.

God has clearly brought Peter and Cornelius together, despite many religious and cultural barrier. So today we see what God does now that they are together.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 10:34-48

³⁴Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, ³⁵but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. ³⁶You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. ³⁷That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: ³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

³⁹We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; ⁴⁰but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, ⁴¹not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴²He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. ⁴⁵The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, ⁴⁶for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, ⁴⁷“Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

different but not divided

Good afternoon friends,
I hope you're enjoying this beautiful afternoon. I'm very grateful for my window, through which I can feel the breeze and hear the birds chirping. God made such a beautiful world, and a day like this makes it easy to appreciate. In today's reading Paul talks about a division that used to be incredibly important, the division between Jews and gentiles. In Paul's time Jews didn't associate with gentiles because they were seen as impure. In turn, many gentiles looked down on Jews because they didn't worship the pagan gods and were seen as separate from society. 


Within the Christian movement things were a little different because Jews and gentiles were both part of the same community. Paul says that in the cross Jesus breaks down the wall that divides us and makes one people out of two groups. If Christ can bridge that divide, then surely we don't need to be divided by things like politics or economic situation or race. We are all God's children; we are made new in Christ. Nothing needs to separate us now.

God bless,
Sam

Ephesians 2:14-22

¹⁴For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. ¹⁵He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. ¹⁷

So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; ¹⁸for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, ²⁰built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; ²²in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

greetings

Good morning friends,
This morning lift up the family of Ambassador Holbrooke as they mourn his loss. We also lift up others who mourn in this Christmas season.

As I mentioned Sunday, the readings for Advent skip around a good deal. We've read the end of Romans recently, and now we are reading some of the beginning. This is a powerful and important letter, one I think we'll study in supper and scripture sometime in the early spring. Paul greets the church in Rome, a church he has not visited at this point, in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He sees himself as set apart as a messenger of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That gospel, that good news, in a nutshell is that in Christ all people have access to God and our called to belong to Christ. Belonging to Christ makes a claim on our lives and it frees us from other claims that seek to separate us from God. This call to all people, not just the people of Israel, is a radical change in understanding and one Paul takes pains to explain later in this letter. May you feel God's grace with you today.

God bless,
Sam

Romans 1:1-7

1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, 6including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

7To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

outside in

Good morning friends,
Today we remember the attack on Pearl Harbor and the war that followed. We're grateful for the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform throughout our history, and we grieve for all the lives lost in conflict. We pray for peace, both in our cities and around the world.

Paul's letter to the Romans is different from his other letters in that he hadn't founded or previously visited the church in Rome. As he explains here, his mission throughout his ministry had been bringing Christ to places that didn't know him yet. Now he feels he has completed the first phase of the evangelization of the area and he wants to visit new places including Spain. As part of this plan he wants to come to Rome. Since he is writing to a community that is already established he recognizes that he is not their teacher or leader. He still feels he has something to offer them in terms of spiritual advise, because of God's grace to him. He relates his whole intent with them to the growth of harmony between Jews and gentiles in the church of Christ.

This passage encourages me to remember the constant need to share the good news with those who don't know Jesus. In our setting there aren't many people who have never heard of Jesus, but there are many who don't really know who he was or the good news of love he represents. Let's always be on the lookout for chances to share that joyful word with others.

God bless,
Sam

Romans 15:14-24

14I myself feel confident about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 15Nevertheless on some points I have written to you rather boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.


17In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast of my work for God. 18For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, 19by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and as far around as Illyricum I have fully proclaimed the good news of Christ. 20Thus I make it my ambition to proclaim the good news, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on someone else’s foundation, 21but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall understand.”


22This is the reason that I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23But now, with no further place for me in these regions, I desire, as I have for many years, to come to you 24when I go to Spain. For I do hope to see you on my journey and to be sent on by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a little while.

community dealing with difference

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Paul has been talking about dietary and other laws and how, while they no longer apply to Christians, we still need to be respectful of people who observe those laws. The main thrust of this argument has been to bring together Jewish and Gentile Christians. The main reason food regulations are so important to Jews at the time is that it helped them preserve their faith and some sense of autonomy in a world where many parts of their lives were controlled by gentiles. Judaism is in many ways very tied to God's covenant with the ancestors and the people of Israel. That covenant centered in a land of their own with laws to establish a faithful, national community. Dietary laws helped keep some of this sense of unity, autonomy and dedication to God alive when the people of Israel no longer controlled their own land or political destiny.

Christianity began as a Jewish movement, but quickly attracted people outside Judaism. That presented a great deal of controversy for many religious leaders, but Paul is convinced that God has called all people to be one in Christ. That means the old distinctions between Jew and Gentile no longer apply. In today's reading Paul lifts up scripture that foreshadows that the promise to the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc) had always intended to bring in the gentiles. God hasn't abandoned his promises to Israel, but those promises overflow into love and community for all people.

Thanks be to God,
Sam

Romans 15:4-13

4For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. 5May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.


7Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name"; 10and again he says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people"; 11and again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him"; 12and again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope." 13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

conversion and controversy

Good morning brothers and sisters,
They say that the path of true love never did run smooth, and that's just as true with God's love for us as for any star-crossed lovers Shakespeare invented. For Peter, the decision to baptize Cornelius and his friends and family was easy because God was obviously leading the way. To the leadership who weren't there, on the other hand, this is a scandal. By law Peter shouldn't have even gone to Cornelius's house, much less stayed overnight and eaten with them.

But Peter knows what God was doing and he remembers what Jesus said about receiving a baptism of the Holy Spirit. It all fits together for him, so he explains it to the others. Once they have heard the whole story they rejoice as well because God's mercy extends further than they imagined. God is good beyond measure and gives all of us the gift of repentance and new life.
Thanks be to God.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 11:1-18

Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, 3saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?”

4Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, 5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. 6As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’

10This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. 11At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. 12The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; 14he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’

15And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. 16And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” 18When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”