A New Devotion - Reaching Across the Table

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. It's based on the passage below. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

Romans 15:7-13 [Contemporary English Version]

Honor God by accepting each other, as Christ has accepted you. I tell you that Christ came as a servant of the Jews to show that God has kept the promises he made to their famous ancestors. Christ also came, so that the Gentiles would praise God for being kind to them. It is just as the Scriptures say,

“I will tell the nations

    about you,

and I will sing praises

    to your name.”

The Scriptures also say to the Gentiles, “Come and celebrate with God's people.”

Again the Scriptures say,

“Praise the Lord,

    all you Gentiles.

All you nations, come

    and worship him.”

Isaiah says,

“Someone from David's family

    will come to power.

He will rule the nations,

and they will put their hope

    in him.”

I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.

Reaching Across the Table

Yesterday, Americans celebrated Thanksgiving, a day when most of us have the chance to enjoy as much family, food and football as we can stand. And I remember, as a boy, this was actually my absolute favorite holiday. I mean, not only did it kick off the Christmas season, a period that I enjoyed far more than the twenty-fifth itself, there just seemed to be a special feeling throughout the day. I mean, regardless of what was happening in our lives, the disappointments we might be experiencing and the interpersonal conflicts that might even be there around the table, all that was put aside. It was as though, for one day, a truce had been called, and we simply enjoyed one another, of course, along with the food and the football.

But sadly, that’s not the case now-a-days. Instead of putting aside our divisions for the sake of something more important, many of the folks who surround our tables seem to think Thanksgiving is the perfect time to argue politics and to debate religion and to make everyone who doesn’t share their passion regret not staying home and eating some frozen lasagna. Unfortunately, a day that should bring us together in an atmosphere of thanksgiving has become just another occasion that pulls us apart.  

And for that reason, maybe this passage from Paul’s letter to the Romans is important for us to remember. You see, as he reminded his audience, God closed the gap between the Jews and the Gentiles by simply loving and including them both. He didn’t play favorites. Instead, he showed kindness to all and encouraged them to do the same. And I think that can apply to us as well. You see, this is something we can do, especially in the way we treat people who have opinions and perspectives different from our own. Of course, that’s not going to impact Thanksgiving this year. But after practicing this attitude for the next twelve months, maybe instead of walking away from the meal in a huff, we’ll actually find ourselves reaching across the table.