Share Grace – Radical Acceptance
Hospitality challenges us to look past our own judgemental attitudes and radically accept one another, to become a community that transforms those around us.
Hospitality challenges us to look past our own judgemental attitudes and radically accept one another, to become a community that transforms those around us.
Jesus’ gracious hospitality leads us to offer the same invitations to others.
As we start to recover from the effects of a global pandemic, our need for community is greater than ever.
We can look to the early church for some inspiration – the first Spirit-filled fellowship.
There’s a constant temptation to think that ‘real sinners’ are the others. Essentially, people not like us. We like to think that Jesus will sort ‘them’ out.
But what if He sees us, ‘the respectable sort’ and invites us to change? What would that set us free from? What would that make possible for us?
Jesus, the transforming guest offers us all that opportunity.
Jesus was regularly invited to meals. Some wanted to argue with him, others just wanted to get close to him.
Some folks were socially at ease with him. But some seemed to make a fuss – to such an extent that it could be embarrassing.
But Jesus didn’t seem fazed by it, In fact he seemed to enjoy it. Maybe it was because he knew that this is how grace feels to those starved of hope.
That’s still how it feels.
One of the most difficult things we have had to deal with over the last year is the loss of close contact with others.
We will be part of the healing process to the extent that we offer space, time and food to others.
Hospitality matters! But we will always feel awkward if we haven’t come to terms with the fact that Jesus asks to eat with us first – in all our mess and confusion.
If you’re never going to see someone again, you think hard about what to say. You say what matters, and you might say it with tears.
Paul speaks to a group of leaders and through them to the church and reminds them of what is really important – both then and now.
And he says it with tears.
When you’re in a minority and surrounded by things that you think just aren’t right, how do you react?
Paul’s time in Athens was uneasy. He felt deeply troubled by all the signs and symbols of false gods, but he chose not to attack, but with brilliant wisdom offered anyone who would hear a new way of seeing the world.
His experience marks out a path for us to follow – in our own places, in our time, with all we face.
Paul and Silas continue on the mission to Philippi, but very soon life becomes increasingly difficult.
What can we learn from their story, about continuing in missional activity, when life gets difficult?
A mixed race man, a group unsure why their plans had been disrupted, a meeting with a woman outside a city.
Luke paints a series of small portraits of people making sense of life as God opens up something that none of them could have anticipated.
God does lead us, but sometimes we need to train ourselves to make sense of what He is opening up for us…
With each step forward that the mission took, it feels as though there were forces pushing back. Sometimes the opposition was obvious, things were threatened because of internal relationships. Paul and Barnabas had a massive, full on shouting row about a young man, John Mark who had left them. Barnabas wanted to give him a second chance, Paul thought that would be unwise.
How do we make sense of the moments where we know we have really messed up and need to be given another chance? How do we know when to give people a chance?
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