“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Rom. 15:7
Dear Jesus, you know everything about us—all the beautiful, bad, broken, and bruised parts. And you accept us 100%—with all your heart and strength, with your eyes and arms wide open. Your desire for us never wains and your delight in us never wavers. We’ll never shock, bore, or grate on your nerves. Hallelujah! and “Oh my!” The “Oh my!” is in response to your call for us to accept others as you accept us.
That’s hard Jesus, because “one another” you call us to accept in the Body of Christ are really different from us. Right now we consider many of them to be enemies or a threat—theologically too conservative or too liberal—politically and socially, too “left wing” or too “right wing.”
As Paul wrote the book of Romans, he addressed a growing “kaleidoscopic” community of believers who once lived as self-righteous Jews and pagan Gentiles, Greek stoics and Roman citizens, pantheists and polytheists, the demon possessed and the highly religious, the wealthy and the “worthless,” ethnic purists and mixed bloodlines. Few of us would easily, willingly, gladly join the emerging church in Rome.
Jesus, you must help us. You must “grace us.” Grant us bigger hearts—much bigger hearts. Free us from our prejudices and stereotypes, our tribalism and racism. The Gospel calls us to enjoy and extend your welcoming heart to all. One Day we will celebrate and totally love our every-nation forever-diverse family—as we stream into the New Jerusalem together (Rev. 7:4-10). Free us now to live and love towards that Day. So Very Amen.