Acts 15:7-11

Acts 15:7-11New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers. And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

More on outsiders and insiders and who's in and who's not and what's in and what's not...

Paul and Barnabas have come to the apostles to report on their mission to the Gentiles, but there are some still among the group (former Pharisees) who demand that all new converts be circumcised and keep the laws of Moses before they can be converted.  In other words.  First you have to become a Jew and THEN you can become a Christian!

Peter had been a little late to Paul and Barnabas' way of thinking with the Gentiles, but here he makes his final stand: we are saved through the grace of Jesus - not through the laws of Moses.

Since that time, we still manage to come up with all kinds of ways to decide who's in and who's out; who's a real Christian and who's not.  What's a true Christian practice and what isn't.  We've gotten pretty good at some of the hoops.  And honestly sometimes the hoops aren't even completely without merit - at least for a time and a context.  They have theological basis driving them forward.

At what age we commune, might be one of these.  Churches can be all over the map on this - even churches of the same denomination.  But how strident we become on enforcing this issue can lead to it being a huge hoop that some folks might not overcome.

How we worship is another hoop.  I've spoken before about my dismay at the worship wars that still plague the church.  I have seen this particular hoop send people packing from churches.

Of course, there are smaller hoops as well.  And these can be just as divisive and destructive to the church community.  Most of them are set by tradition and practice rather than theological argument, and I'll bet my bottom dollar that most churches have at least one or two of them.

They are often so seemingly insignificant that we don't notice them: how we expect folks to dress; what the rules of hospitality are (or are not); how our Holy Communion flow or logistics are; how childcare is handled (or not); when Sunday School takes place, etc.

I'll bet you can think of some others.  Maybe take a few minutes to do so...

We aren't the first people to say "But we've always done it that way!"  Peter said it as well.

Until he didn't.  Until he remembered that we all - insiders, and outsiders alike - are saved by the Lord Jesus Christ and spreading that good news should have as few barriers as possible!

Dear Lord, help us break down the walls we so carefully construct that might be keeping us from spreading your good news for all to hear!  Amen