SUNDAY, MARCH 18

Acts 2:5-8 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?”

I think that it is often tempting to believe that including and being included are very easy things to do, and they aren’t. You could easily understand the story of the coming of the Holy Spirit as God somehow “spot welding” us all together into one great loving family, but it simply isn’t that way.

I’m reminded of this whenever I walk into ETS where I encounter people of the same faith but very different approaches to it. At ETS there are Baptists, Lutherans, charismatic’s, and people from non-denominational backgrounds. I’ve even encountered a Jew, and the seminary has started a chaplaincy program for Muslims.

Although very diverse, ETS doesn’t even cover the entire Christian water front. For instance, ETS does not currently have any orthodox Christians that I’m aware of or many of the other types of Christianity that I’ve left out.

To add to that, there was a class I took last year that made us try to understand how Christianity was understood in other cultures, especially those that had reason to believe that it had been imposed on them such as the American Indians.

Including is more than inviting people into our little bubble and expecting them to love it because we do. Inclusion is about leaving our bubble, listening more than talking, sometimes saying that we are sorry for things we didn’t personally do, and always being willing to try to change as we are lead by God.

Gracious God: Help us to see each other as your unique children. May we celebrate the ways we find you even though they may not be what we are familiar with. Be with us on this journey of inclusion; may we judge less and live in joy more as we seek to love all of your children. Amen.

Terry Chaney