Eastertide

May 9, 2022

Scripture Reading: Acts 11:1-18

Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, ‘Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?’ Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, ‘I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But I replied, “By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.” But a second time the voice answered from heaven, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. –Acts 11:1-10

One of the words I learned in Sociology 103 was Ethnocentricity. According to Mirriam-Webster, it means:
One of the words I learned in Sociology 103 was Ethnocentricity. According to Mirriam-Webster, it means:
a: inclined to regard one’s own race or social group as the center of culture
<any profession … is somewhat ethnocentric regarding outsiders — L. W. Doob>
b: exhibiting an incapacity for viewing foreign cultures dispassionately
<the ethnocentric view that the rest of the world must become worthy of us by … imitating our way of life–G.E. Taylor>

How do we react when someone approaches us saying, “My group’s way is the only way and if you do not adopt it you will suffer extreme consequences.” Jesus’s example was to share meals with people, get to know them, love them, and when they experienced his love, they felt comfortable loving him back.

One of the greatest blessings of living in the US is the breadth and depth of learning from people with differing backgrounds—wonderful music, delicious food, differing life experiences, and amazingly similar ordeals.  Many came to our country due to starvation and famine, escaping war, some came against their will, others were just adventuresome, and some had been here for hundreds of years before these new people arrived. All were created in the image of God.

Prayer: Lord, lead us in understanding others and help us to see them as you see them. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.