Opening Prayer
Gracious God, I put myself before you in this moment with waiting heart, expectant desire. Open my eyes that I may see your promise fulfilled; open my ears that I may hear your word whispered to my deepest being.
Amen.
Passage
Romans 15:5-12
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God andFather of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.” Again, it says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.” And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples extol him.” And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.”
Reflection - Cameron Lucas
In the New Testament a "Gentile" is someone who is not Jewish. In a worldview where the Jews were God's chosen, special people it meant being a Gentile was being an outsider.
Jesus came and blew this whole system of thinking up. There were no longer special people and outsiders. There was no longer a right place to worship and a wrong place to worship. Jesus leveled the playing field and taught that it was more about the condition of your heart than any external things(John 4, Matthew 23).
However these references to Old Testament Scripture in Romans 15 show us that what Jesus did wasn't exactly a brand new thing. In fact Jesus was the culmination of promises God made a long time ago. It didn't matter that the Gentiles didn't have the same history, rules, customs, etc., that the Jews had. God welcomes us all into His family no matter what our past looks like.
If you haven't recently, spend some time confessing things to Him that might be getting in the way of your relationship with Him. Spend some time thanking God for forgiving your sins and welcoming you into His family.
Closing Prayer
My Lord, may all that I have seen of you and all that I have heard from your word now enflesh itself in me. Send me from this place as the incarnate promise of life to all whose life I will touch this day.
Amen.