On November 19, 1863, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Abraham Lincoln began a speech with these words: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” He was referring to the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence, which states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights”. Another 156 years have passed and we are still discussing what it means for people to be “created equal.” We seem to know in our hearts that we were created equal, all in the image of God, but we struggle with what that means when the person we are talking about is different in any number of ways. Before we condemn others for this struggle, we have to consider this is not a new struggle nor one that belongs only to persons of European descent. We find the same struggle in the Bible.
Peter, who is very careful to remain clean, is called to go to a Gentile household and to witness to the grace of Christ and offer salvation. God, knowing Peter would struggle with this direction, gave Peter a very pointed vision; one in which God left no doubt in Peter’s mind that he was the God of all persons. Peter goes. His initial comment to Cornelius is “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” Acts 10:34b-35 NRSV. Peter, the loud-mouthed, impetuous follower of Jesus and who is careful to maintain the law, admits that God calls all people to follow the way of Christ. He changes his understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, of who God calls to be His servant, and of who God accepts. Paul shares the same message in Galatians 3:28 using different words. Paul even dares to challenge the need to follow the law to be a follower of Christ at the church in Jerusalem. He calls the apostles to create space in the assembly of believers for those who have traditionally been on the outside—the Gentiles, who were considered pagans beyond hope.
Before I finished this article, I went to North Carolina to do my friend Ben’s funeral. One of the other clergy used Revelation 21:24-25 “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.” (NRSV) She went on to explain the gates will never be closed because all will be welcome, there will be no enemy to keep out and no fear of others to cause us fear. I hear the fear we have of others in the ways we seek to protect ourselves from those we see as “other” and the harm or death they may cause us. We carry guns and live in houses with alarms. Then I see the Amish people who do not fear “others.” I marveled several years ago at how they forgave the man who raped and murdered several young girls at their Amish school. They replied when asked how they could be so forgiving, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.” I am tired of living in fear and long too see others as equal and as my brothers and sisters but I still have a ways to go to be in that place. But if I don’t take the first step and take the risk, I will never arrive at that place. I invite you to come and walk beside me as we come to see all as our equals, our brothers and sisters in Christ, those for whom he died on the cross. This truth comes from scripture: Galatians 3:28.
Happy Fourth of July, may our beloved country lead the way in bringing peace and equality.
Peter, who is very careful to remain clean, is called to go to a Gentile household and to witness to the grace of Christ and offer salvation. God, knowing Peter would struggle with this direction, gave Peter a very pointed vision; one in which God left no doubt in Peter’s mind that he was the God of all persons. Peter goes. His initial comment to Cornelius is “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” Acts 10:34b-35 NRSV. Peter, the loud-mouthed, impetuous follower of Jesus and who is careful to maintain the law, admits that God calls all people to follow the way of Christ. He changes his understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, of who God calls to be His servant, and of who God accepts. Paul shares the same message in Galatians 3:28 using different words. Paul even dares to challenge the need to follow the law to be a follower of Christ at the church in Jerusalem. He calls the apostles to create space in the assembly of believers for those who have traditionally been on the outside—the Gentiles, who were considered pagans beyond hope.
Before I finished this article, I went to North Carolina to do my friend Ben’s funeral. One of the other clergy used Revelation 21:24-25 “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.” (NRSV) She went on to explain the gates will never be closed because all will be welcome, there will be no enemy to keep out and no fear of others to cause us fear. I hear the fear we have of others in the ways we seek to protect ourselves from those we see as “other” and the harm or death they may cause us. We carry guns and live in houses with alarms. Then I see the Amish people who do not fear “others.” I marveled several years ago at how they forgave the man who raped and murdered several young girls at their Amish school. They replied when asked how they could be so forgiving, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.” I am tired of living in fear and long too see others as equal and as my brothers and sisters but I still have a ways to go to be in that place. But if I don’t take the first step and take the risk, I will never arrive at that place. I invite you to come and walk beside me as we come to see all as our equals, our brothers and sisters in Christ, those for whom he died on the cross. This truth comes from scripture: Galatians 3:28.
Happy Fourth of July, may our beloved country lead the way in bringing peace and equality.
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