Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, May 31, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
This is part two of the food question from yesterday. Yes, God is open to lots of ways to practice our faith, and we shouldn’t judge one another. However, if you know that someone specifically has a tough time with a particular practice and you insist on having your way and doing it the way you think is “right,” then Paul says you’re not acting in Christian love. The thing that instantly comes to mind is my congregation’s decision to have gluten free wafers and grape juice at communion in addition to bread and wine so that no one is excluded. If we insisted that there was only one “correct” way to commune, then anyone with celiac disease or alcoholism wouldn’t be able to participate.
It's important in any congregation that we’re aware of the needs of our members so that we an “pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” It means really listening to one another in love and wanting everyone to feel welcomed and fully a part of the community. Sometimes that isn’t easy to do, and we have to also remember to be gentle with ourselves when we fail, and willing to try again. Just as Paul exhorted the early church in lots of ways two thousand years ago, we are still just trying to feel out what it means to be the Body of Christ one day at a time, and we are loved in the process.
Where do I see practices in my faith community that are truly welcoming to all members?
