I will count Egypt and Babylon among those who know me—also Philistia and Tyre, and even distant Ethiopia. They have all become citizens of Jerusalem! Regarding Jerusalem it will be said, “Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there.” And the Most High will personally bless this city. When the Lord registers the nations, he will say, “They have all become citizens of Jerusalem.” The people will play flutes and sing, “The source of my life springs from Jerusalem!” Psalm 87:4-7
“As surely as my new heavens and
earth will remain, so will you always be my people, with a name that will never
disappear,” says the Lord. “All humanity will come to worship me from
week to week and from month to month. Isaiah 66:22-23
And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 8:11
They are way
too many to count, all those little hints in Scripture, that we humans are miles
off-course when it comes to living out God’s plan for humanity. These three little samplings of today’s
readings (Psalm, Prophet, and Gospel) are a stark contrast to the way we see
things in the 21st century.
The cultural lens, particularly in government, colors everything in hues
of friend or foe. Consider the evidence:
· Central Intelligence Agency, National Security
Agency, Homeland Security
· Republicans…Democrats…Libertarians…Independents
· Born and bred in this region or that (and fiercely
loyal within)
· Citizens by birth – naturalization – or illegal
alien
· Black, white, Hispanic, Asian, whatever…
On the
religious front there is also the kind of division that makes Heaven weep. Friend or foe separation
is endemic to belief systems. Christians,
Jews, Muslims, and atheists, along with the agnostics and indifferentists, are
only a starting place. From there we
separate into what kind or brand. In Christianity there is Calvinism, Arminianism,
Free-will, Independent, Roman Catholic, and a thousand other choices.
And don’t
even start on the denominations within the brands. And where did it all come from? Our division comes from the perception that the
other person is either just plain wrong, or just
doesn’t get it ALL quite right. And so you have people separating from each
other, building bigger walls, wider divisions, longer tunnels of doubt and
suspicion.
And then,
there is God in Heaven, perhaps with a tear in His eyes, but unworried. And what God said through the Psalmist, the
prophet, and the Gospel writer, is that, someday God will bring together all
those who have so successfully divided themselves from each other, and every
dividing thought will melt into a wisp of thin air, every harsh idea will
crumble like Babel’s tower, and brothers will be reunited like Jacob and Esau,
falling on each other’s necks, glad to be together. There will be singing of a new song, dancing
to match the angel’s clapping time, and a newness to fellowship that will not
disappear…ever.
This…is
something we can never do here…all we can do is point to it, in faith, and lift
our collective little voices and pray, even so, COME, Lord Jesus.
After you’re done reading this devotional (or listening), take a few more
moments to go back and read today’s full lection (Psalm 87, Isaiah 66 and Matthew 8).
As you read, open the lens in your heart that sees with the kind of love
God has for everyone, and measure that against some of the things you’ve either
been taught, or have come to believe about others.
And then, spend a little quiet time, not speaking, just being silent,
and listening for that still, small, sound of sandaled feet coming near. God has some surprises in store for us; don’t
let the sounds of hatred, violence, and greed drown out the good news.
Title image Pixabay.com ∞
Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
For another post on God’s plan for the Gentiles see God Always Has a....Plan-B
