Fall is one of my favorite seasons because it brings a dramatic transformation from hot to cool, from green to colorful. It’s a time when going outside becomes enjoyable for many of us. Not all changes are quite so easy: moving to a new place, a new school, a new city, new roads, a new home, a new job, new people, a new church. Some people absolutely crave change and variety, while others dread it.
In the days of the early church, the followers of Jesus were constantly challenged by change. When Peter was presented with the summons to eat unclean foods and go to the Gentiles, he responded, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean” (Acts 10:14). It took three times before Peter finally understood that God was asking him to change by welcoming the Gentiles into their new community. He had finally come to understand that “God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean” (10:28b). However, Peter’s revelation would not resolve the issue. He took his case to Jerusalem (Acts 11) and the church would continue to struggle with full inclusion for many years (Acts 15). Change is hard.
Most Christians know that Gentiles are part of God’s plan of salvation, but have we become guilty of being like the Pharisees by failing to incorporate the outsider into our midst? Have we successfully accepted people we deem culturally “unclean”? Can they sit at our tables and next to us on our pew? Change is hard because we have to change our hearts to make room for others. We may have to be- come a little bit uncomfortable like Peter when he visited Cornelius. Not all change is good, but some changes are essential and necessary if we are to become the people God would have us be.