Inclusivity in Action

DAILY BYTE

Yesterday we spoke about the events of Pentecost when the Spirit of God was poured out upon the believers, blowing open the doors of their community, anointing their lips so that they could speak in foreign languages so that people of other lands could hear the good news of God. It was a stunning example of the Spirit ‘making the circle bigger’.

But that wasn’t the end of the story. No, it was just the beginning. Because as the book of Acts unfolds we see this relentless hospitality of the Spirit seeking to draw into the community of faith those who otherwise would have been excluded.

Another stunning example of this can be found in Acts 10 & 11, where the church undergoes a major identity shift. Up until that time the believers were exclusively Jewish, and the Christian faith was really a sect within Judaism. But then in Acts 10 there are two visions that change this, which resulted in the church’s identity as an exclusively Jewish entity being changed forever.

The first vision is given to a Roman centurion by the name of Cornelius. He was a Gentile (i.e he was non-Jewish), but was told to send men to a town called Joppa to bring back a man called Simon Peter who was there. Cornelius immediately obeys.

The second vision is given to Simon Peter himself. In it he sees a sheet descending from heaven with all kinds of animals that were not kosher for a Jew to eat – but he is commanded to eat nonetheless. When Peter protests, the voice from heaven tells him, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

Immediately thereafter, Cornelius’ men arrive and the Spirit tells Peter to go with them. He’s being thrust into risky territory – entering a Gentile’s house. But as he does so Peter sees compelling evidence of their faith, and then the clincher – the outpouring of the Spirit upon them. And so he baptizes them, thereby incorporating these non-Jews into the church.

Word of this gets back to the believers in Jerusalem, and so Peter has to give an account of his actions. He explains all that happened, effectively saying, ‘This was all the Holy Spirit’s doing. Who am I to think that I could oppose God?’ (Acts 11:17). When the believers in Jerusalem heard this they praised God, for they recognized that their circle was being made bigger. And even though this represented a seismic shift in their identity as a community, which must have been a threatening change to some, they trusted that this was for the good of the church because it was under the direction of the hand of God.

What an incredible story that challenges our entrenched assumptions as to those whom we tend to regard as falling outside the embrace of the church. How might this story challenge you in your current attitude towards refugees, people of other races & languages, women, gay & lesbian people, people of other faiths or different theological convictions?

PRAY-AS-YOU-GO

Lord God, we acknowledge that inclusivity as an idea is something that we support, but when it comes to expressing it in practice and actively welcoming & celebrating in our midst those who are very different from us, we often find it hard to do. Our prejudices are rooted deep within us, often beyond our conscious awareness. Come Holy Spirit and help us. Move us to new places of openness, hospitality and radical embrace. Enable us to trust your stirring in our midst. Amen.

SCRIPTURE

Acts 10:44-48 (NIV)

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues[a] and praising God.

Then Peter said, "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.