Acts 10:27-30
Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. So, when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”
Reflection
Peter travels with the messengers from Cornelius to Caesarea where Cornelius resided. When Peter arrives he goes into Cornelius’ home. This was a big deal! No Jew would go into the home of a Gentile because that would make them unclean.
Peter then announces that the reason he is departing from this time honored law and tradition is because God has revealed to him that God is doing a new thing. Salvation is made available to all people, not just Jews. Peter rightly interpreted the vision of the unclean animals that were made clean to mean that all people were loved by God and that the grace of Christ should be offered to all. So, Peter was willing, in the blink of an eye, to change something that he had observed and considered an important part of his life for as long as he could remember. Why? He did that so that others could know the goodness of God through Jesus.
Are we willing to change and do things differently, even dream up new forms of the church, so that others can know the goodness of God through Jesus Christ?
Spend some time this week praying about what God might be asking us to do differently at Southport UMC so that more people in our community can come into a relationship with Jesus.
