Acts 8 and John 15

Ethiopian eunuchs. Deuteronomy 23:1 says that eunuchs are to be excluded from the community of believers, but the Holy Spirit decides to use Philip to include the Ethiopian eunuch.

Whom do we exclude? Sometimes we exclude disabled people because including them is logistically more challenging. We also exclude people whose appearance we find disturbing or whose behavior is odd.

Then there is the likelihood that the eunuch is black, and he most certainly is a foreigner. Yet he is included, and so he should be.

John 15: We are all branches. We members of the Church are equals, and it is not our job to decide who gets lopped off. Once again, we're focusing on inclusivity.

(from www.goodpreacher.com/blog/)

St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church,
Youngstown, PA