"I now realize that God does not show favoritism but accepts everyone." Acts 10:34

Dear People of St. David's, 

I pray that you and yours are well and that the beauty of the season is warming your heart and giving you gentle thoughts of the warmer days that are coming.

In this season of Easter, we hear a lot of resurrection stories in the Gospels on Sunday, but we also hear some of the early preaching of Peter and Jesus' other first followers. They're not full sermons - no stories, no humorous anecdotes, no complete theological explanations; just the promise of the resurrection and the path to life with God - turning to the source of salvation, Jesus Christ. But there's another theme that runs through the preaching and conversations of the post-resurrection preaching. The other theme and promise, which comes as a surprise to Jesus' followers and to everyone within earshot, is that God wants everyone. God loves everyone. God wants everyone.

Now this is a surprise to the first followers of Jesus who are all Jewish. They're surprised that the promises and blessings of God are not for the Jews only, but for everyone. The people who had been called to be a blessing to the nations are now understanding that God does in fact love all those people in all those nations, in all their variety and abilities.

This is good news for us and for the world. It is also informative about what it means to be the Body of Christ. There are no barriers to being part of Christian community, however different or however sinful we may be. God wants us all in the community of followers and believers and seekers after God.

This is also challenging news for almost everyone I know. There seems to be some deep psychological or intellectual barrier for most people. We want everyone to be like us. Truth be told, we want everyone to be like the person we see in the mirror every morning. Most of us have to stretch our hearts to allow that even though people are different than that person we love in our mirrors, they are loved by God and can be loved by us.

I remember a moment my first year in seminary when I found myself grumbling in my head about how these "other people" who had been called to be priests were so different than me. They were different sexes, different ages, different races, had different theological viewpoints, and different sociological views about who is welcomed in God's community. Then I had a vision and for a person who is not prone to visions, it shocked me. I caught a glimpse of all those different people wearing black shirts and white collars and realized that not only had God called all those different people to be priests, but also that God needed all those different people. It was a humbling, life changing moment and I believe with St. Peter that God accepts and wants everyone.

So, as we come to church on Sundays and participate in all the mission and ministry God has called us to as St. David's Church, allow me to encourage you to hold onto God's promise to everyone. All of us are different and God wants all those differences to build the Body of Christ and make a difference in the world.

Grace to you and Peace.