Jesus lived a life of welcome. He opened himself to people who were outside the boundaries of acceptability. He sat at the table of scorned tax collectors in spite of their betrayals (Luke 19). He honored the choices of women by acknowledging them as worthy of attention (Luke 7).
In Jesus’ life, God, we see that you do not have favorites. All are your children. Yet we all have experienced exclusion in one way or another. We have failed to create social systems that welcome all.
We blame instead of being accountable. We judge instead of understanding. For those of us who have labored under systems that give preference to other skin colors, or certain body sizes, or vocational calling, or physical ability, or affectional wiring, healing is a generational aspiration, a hope that someday, the playing field will be even. Someday, we will grasp, trust and build on your unfailing, unconditional love for all.
This message is an excerpt from “Amen: All are your children” by Catherine Malotky in the May 2021 issue of Gather magazine.
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