Amy Kelley, Dir. of Program Ministries

1 Timothy 4:8-11 (CEB)

Train yourself for a holy life! 8 While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life now and the life to come. 9 This saying is reliable and deserves complete acceptance. 10 We work and struggle for this: “Our hope is set on the living God, who is the savior of all people, especially those who believe.” 11 Command these things. Teach them.

 

John 1:2-4 (CEB)

The Word was with God in the beginning.

3 Everything came into being through the Word,

    and without the Word

    nothing came into being.

What came into being

4     through the Word was life,[a]

    and the life was the light for all people.

 

REFLECTION:

One of my favorite leadership books is Dynamic Diversity: Bridging Class, Age, Race and Gender in the Church by Bruce Milne. I want to share a quote that has stuck with me over the years, by Parker J. Palmer, a contributor.

 

“Community cannot take root in a divided life. Long before community assumes external shape and form it must be present as seed in the undivided self; only as we are in communion can we find community with others.”

 

We are first in communion with God because God created human beings in God’s image (Gen 1:27). Not just one human being, not just A&M or UT, not just the Cowboys or the Texans, believer or unbeliever, but ALL OF HUMANITY (1 Tim 4:10). I don’t know about you, but I find that freeing; like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. We do not have to judge others. We do not have to “us and them” each other. Yes, we have our differences because we are unique; but God sent Jesus to shed even more light on God’s inclusive love.

 

As it says in the Gospel of John, and countless other scriptures, God’s love is for ALL PEOPLE. John 1:3 says that everything came into being through the Word. Jesus showed us over and over again how to love ALL PEOPLE. Sometimes it’s not easy, even downright challenging. If anyone or any being can understand that it’s God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, each of us can be quite difficult to love, but the Trinity never stops loving us. And if we are created in God’s image and have Jesus in our hearts, then we love ALL PEOPLE too. When our hearts are filled with Jesus’ love, that leaves no room for judgment.

 

Back to that book quote, we must start with ourselves and our own hearts. We can’t love others if our own hearts are divided. God did not intend for us to live a Jekyll and Hyde kind of life. It’s very freeing and quite joyful to just love ALL PEOPLE!

 

PRAYER:

God of ALL PEOPLE,

I want so much to fill my heart with your love and inclusiveness. I know I need to let go of judgement and divisive ways of seeing my brothers and sisters. Lord, I want to see ALL PEOPLE through the eyes of your Son, Jesus Christ which is love, forgiveness, grace and kindness. I am so grateful for your inclusivity of the Gospel.

Amen.