ACTS 15:9

…and in cleansing their hearts by faith [God] has made no distinction between them and us. – Acts 15:9

In Acts 15, which we heard from on Sunday, we learned more about the crisis facing the early church. The Gentile believers didn’t follow the same laws and codes as the Jewish believers. The Jewish believers hadn’t seen this happen before and assumed that the only way someone could come to faith in Jesus was through the same laws and practices they followed. When Gentiles began to believe, many Jewish believers assumed they’d act just like they did. They were very wrong. 

You can’t really blame them. Our expression of faith feels natural and right to us. It’s what reveals God to us. It’s what feels good and life-giving and powerful. It’s incredibly hard to envision someone doing it any other way. Rather than see our preferences as options, we’re tempted to see them as requirements. It’s a short walk from “this is what’s meaningful for me” to “this is the only way to do it”. 

Just last week, I took the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). It’s a tool that more of our church leaders, whether staff or volunteer, will start taking. Through the guidance of the Center for Leadership and Neighborhood Engagement, a faith-based organization that teaches and guides the work of inclusion, the IDI can help us see our assumptions about culture and the gaps between what we think we believe and how we actually act. I’ll admit that I’m a little nervous to see my results. I want to believe my eyes and heart are open to the wideness of human diversity, but I also know I have biases and blind spots that make that difficult. 

It’s important for me – and all of us – to remember that this work is centuries old. The church has always struggled to integrate diversity because the church is made of people. People tend to like familiarity, safety, and stability. New ideas, different practices, and other people can challenge that. Rather than be threatened by it, we’re reminded that God works through these differences. God makes no distinction in the wideness of our community. God is at work in places that are familiar or frightening. We are invited to join God in this work.

Let us pray:

God, you welcome all people into your family. Thank you for making us diverse, beautiful, and in your image. Help me to be an instrument of inclusion in my home, community, and church. Open my eyes to the fullness of humanity, your joy in making us different and good, and the many ways I can honor your creation through compassion. Amen.