Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“[Peter said] ‘For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, June 2, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I love this message of radical inclusivity. It’s so brief and surrounded by so many other words (those early apostles could get long-winded) it’s easy to skim right over without letting the import of it hit you like a metric ton of masonry.
Up until this point, God’s favor was reserved for a relatively small, culturally-specific enclave. Peter was a member of that enclave and here was preaching to other members of that enclave. It’s possible he believed he was keeping God’s favor in the family—he hadn’t yet had his vision about the clean and unclean foods, after all. But God has a habit of speaking truth through us that sometimes we ourselves aren’t fully aware of. I think this is a case of that happening.
Because what Peter is saying is that Jesus’ love cannot be limited by time or space. It’s not just for you, but for those too young to understand, or even those not yet born. It’s not just for you, but for those too far away to hear. God reaches out through all creation and extends the call of unconditional acceptance, grace, and belonging.
Whoa.
Have I ever said something that I only later realize had a much deeper and more important meaning than I’d thought?
