The Holy Spirit makes the church graciously inclusive
Daily Scripture
Romans 14:13-19, 15:7-16
Romans 14
13 So stop judging each other. Instead, this is what you should decide: never put a stumbling block or obstacle in the way of your brother or sister. 14 I know and I’m convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is wrong to eat in itself. But if someone thinks something is wrong to eat, it becomes wrong for that person. 15 If your brother or sister is upset by your food, you are no longer walking in love. Don’t let your food destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 And don’t let something you consider to be good be criticized as wrong. 17 God’s kingdom isn’t about eating food and drinking but about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever serves Christ this way pleases God and gets human approval.
19 So let’s strive for the things that bring peace and the things that build each other up.
Romans 15
7 So welcome each other, in the same way that Christ also welcomed you, for God’s glory. 8 I’m saying that Christ became a servant of those who are circumcised for the sake of God’s truth, in order to confirm the promises given to the ancestors, 9 and so that the Gentiles could glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
Because of this I will confess you among the Gentiles,
and I will sing praises to your name [Psalm 18:49].
10 And again, it says,
Rejoice, Gentiles, with his people [Deuteronomy 32:43].
11 And again,
Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and all the people should sing his praises [Psalm 117:1].
12 And again, Isaiah says,
There will be a root of Jesse,
who will also rise to rule the Gentiles.
The Gentiles will place their hope in him [Isaiah 11:10].
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 My brothers and sisters, I myself am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and are able to teach each other. 15 But I’ve written to you in a sort of daring way, partly to remind you of what you already know. I’m writing to you in this way because of the grace that was given to me by God. 16 It helps me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. I’m working as a priest of God’s gospel so that the offering of the Gentiles can be acceptable and made holy by the Holy Spirit.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Examine what various congregations list in their “What We Believe” statements (easy on the Internet). You’ll usually find lists at least 8 to 15 items long. Yet in Romans, sent to a group of smaller “house churches” in Rome (cf. Romans 16:5, 10, 15), Paul named the central truth of God’s kingdom in just a 3-part phrase: “God’s kingdom is… about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” God’s kingdom is about living in peace and lifting each other up, not about winning arguments.
- We may not debate food laws or Sabbath observance today, but we DO differ, often strongly, about abortion, immigration, how God views varied sexual orientations, what “the Bible is inspired” means, and maybe even church music! Paul said, “Stop judging each other.” Was that a “low” rule, one even a woman taken in adultery or a thief on a cross could pass, or in fact a tough, “high” standard? Which challenges you more: the “height” or the “lowness” of Paul’s standard?
- As God’s people focus their spiritual walk on “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit,” Paul said they can stop sniping at one another. In 14:14-16, he asked the “progressives” (like him) “to recognize that there are [some] occasions when they need to hold back from this freedom for the sake of those whose Christian faith would be irreparably damaged by such behavior.” * How can you use your God-given freedom in ways that bless others, not just to enhance your own life?
Prayer
Lord God, only you are wise enough to judge each person’s thoughts and heart intentions. Help me release the urge to judge others, and instead to seek to show all people your peace and love. Amen.
GPS Insights
Melanie Hill
Melanie Hill serves as the Director of Operations at Resurrection's West location. She is also a Navy mom and mom of three teen daughters, a wife of 24 years, and an avid fan of nachos.
When I read through todays GPS Scripture I was tempted to scream at my screen “Yes! This! Why don’t people get it?!”
Unless you’ve been living under a rock (and I’m not even sure you would be safe there) you have been bombarded lately with all the things that separate us and prodded to make a choice about which side you stand on. We hear it in politics, the situation in the Middle East, where you stand on abortion rights, and, maybe most loudly, how you feel about Taylor Swift. It seems like we can’t escape it.
When it comes to issues like these, it’s so tempting to feel like we have the moral high ground in our argument. We can easily justify saying hurtful things to others because we believe ourselves to be right. Just ask anyone from either side. And so, in our quest to be right, we end up hurting the people we are called to love.
A few years back when the Supreme Court ruled on the issue of gay marriage, I remember a message from a life-long friend that said if I agreed with this ruling, I surely wasn’t Christian. This belief and a love of Jesus were unreconcilable in her view. This message effectively ended our friendship, not because I wished it so but because she saw our friendship by extension to be unreconcilable. There was no room to agree to disagree. This friend had known me since 1st grade. We went to church camp together as kids and were in small group together as teens. We shared an apartment in college. If I expected anyone to know my heart and agree to disagree, it would have been her.
My guess is that too many of us have similar stories over similar issues. While I can say I have seen this happen too many times I can also say that I have seen the healing power of acceptance. A while ago another friend visited our family with his boyfriend. He wanted to see the stained-glass window at our Leawood location. We went on a weekday before heading to lunch. While we were standing in the sanctuary looking at the window, Pastor Adam happened to stop by and said “hi.” I introduced my friend and “his boyfriend” (using that language), and Pastor Adam shook their hands and welcomed them before going on his way. I honestly didn’t think much about it until we were at lunch and my friend’s boyfriend started crying. He said he had never been in a church where a pastor would welcome a gay person. A simple welcome had completely shifted his understanding of church.
I love that at Resurrection when we say everyone is welcome, we mean everyone is welcome. My friends who are gay are welcome. My friend who disagrees with me would be welcome. Republicans, Democrats and Independents are welcome. Those who love Taylor Swift are welcome as well as those who don’t.
I called it a “simple” welcome but often nothing could be further from the truth. It can be hard to put aside our differences and welcome all. So how do we do it? Paul encourages us to lean into loving each other, to remove any obstacle that might stop someone looking to grow in their relationship with God and others.
When Paul speaks of being like-minded, he isn’t referring to all of us having the same political or social beliefs. No, he is speaking of something far greater and of more importance–being like-minded in our love of each other and God. Let us not lose sight of that during this turbulent time. And let’s look for ways to welcome all-–in our church, in our neighborhoods, in our friendships and families, and in line to vote.
© 2024 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Wright, N.T., Paul for Everyone, Romans Part Two: Chapters 9-16 (The New Testament for Everyone) (p. 107). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
