~ by the Pastor and guest writers ~
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Loving Those Outside the Boundaries (January 13, 2005) We live in a world that establishes boundaries, builds fences and gated communities, and creates fraternities and sororities and clubs. The result of this human tendency is an illusion of security. But, as a point of fact, we limit the desired love of God our creator. The motive behind our attempt to establish boundaries is to claim some sense of security in an insecure world, to hold on to some dimension of identity in the confusion of a diverse society, to seize peace in a very violent world. But the Christian faith cuts right across this human tendency, and ultimately such attempts to build these human fences will be futile. Our only security—our ultimate peace—is to be found in God and God alone and in the unity of all of God’s People. We read about how Peter learned to love those outside the boundaries in the book of Acts. He learned that God shows no partiality. Translated literally, this means God accepts from every nation and every religion those whose manner of life is devout, even though they live outside the boundaries of Israel. “Those outside the boundaries are included.” That is the key to understanding the Incarnation—God in the human flesh of Jesus. Jesus was born to save all—not a select few, but all. Not Jews only, but also Gentiles. Not persons of one race, but all races. Not persons of one culture, but persons of all cultures. We have trouble seeing God’s love for others, who are outside the boundaries of our denominations or political party or race or socio-economic class. If Christ is not Lord of all, then he is not Lord at all. God loves us. That fact has nothing to do with our worth, our race, our beliefs, our citizenship, or our being lovable. It has nothing to do with any of these superficial, artificial divisions of humanity. But it has everything to do with God. Love is God’s nature and will; God is love. I ask that in this new year we work for God’s desired unity. First, to work for this unity and in little ways to reach out to strangers. Second, to pray as Jesus prayed: “That they may all be one.” Third, to do all within our human reach, to never again participate in anything that is divisive, judgmental, and destructive. God created us as one family in a garden. A day will come when there will be no more strangers in any strange land, but members of one family in the Earth’s Garden.
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