For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ,
like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile,
slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham.
You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.
Galatians 3:26-29 (New Living Translation)
Old Jewish Prayer
“Blessed are you, King of the Universe,
for not having made me a Gentile, a slave, or a woman.”
On CCC’s To-Do List:
Love the Lord with all you’ve got, and love your neighbor as yourself.
Mark 12:30-31
[Jesus] answered,
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength
and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Luke 10:27
The Story of the Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25-37
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise
on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?
Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people,
what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:43-48 (New International Version)
To be a follower of Jesus has been
counter-cultural from the beginning.
Our Challenge:
to show love and respect one another
despite our differences.
Our culture has accepted two huge lies.
The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle,
you must fear or hate them.
The second is that to love someone means you agree
with everything they believe or do.
Both are nonsense.
You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.
-Rick Warren, Saddleback Church
…for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23 (NIV)
In the days to come, we must remember
to season our words with salt.
It’s time to be a light in these dark times. It is not time to be combative and caustic.
Now, more than ever, we must emulate Jesus Christ.
We must continue to show that loving kindness as we talk
with our neighbors and friends who see this issue differently.
Jim Daly, President of Focus on the Family
Christianity Today (on-line), June 26, 2015