Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“And he said to them, ‘You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, May 21, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
No one is profane or unclean. In Peter’s time, this applied specifically in to non-Jews, like Corneliu , and came with it a release from Jewish dietary laws and other traditions that served to call out differences between people, rather than bring them together.
In our time, we would be wise not to limit God’s declaration that no one is profane or unclean to Peter’s context. It applies wholly and fully to us today. Which means that transgender folks are not profane or unclean. Or people who disagree with our politics. Or addicts. Or people struggling with mental illness. Or anyone we try to exclude from our communities for any reason. Without exception, we are loved and redeemed by God. Full stop.
Are there certain people or groups of people I have a hard time accepting? How can I move toward unconditional love?
