Saturday, July 3, 2004
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love.
(2 John 1.3
NRSV)
The principles Jesus taught, he also lived. Jesus invited to his table all sorts of people--Greeks, Jews, sinners, tax collectors--so they all would come to know his grace. He befriended a man who was hated by all: Zacchaeus. He met secretly at night with a man who was confused: Nicodemus. He healed a man who had a dreaded disease: the unnamed leper. These principles continued to be taught and practiced in the early church. James, the brother of Jesus, told us to "show no partiality" between a rich man and a poor man coming into the sanctuary. And from our lesson this morning, Paul wrote, "There is neither Jew nor Greek...slave nor free...male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
What a beautiful and important message. We are all one in the church. In the fellowship of believers we make no distinction between rich or poor, royalty or commoner, celebrity or plebeian. It makes no difference who you are, where you came from or what you have. You are a human being to be loved and recognized as a child of God.
Dear God, thank you for loving me. Amen.
Ron
Newhouse
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