Acts 11:17
If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?"
Whether it's in high school or at work, allowing someone from the outside into your select group is never an easy thing to do. Insecurities get in our way. Will they change the dynamic of the group? Will they be as cool as the rest of us? Will they be able to get the reports out on time so we can finish the project and make the boss happy? We even have trouble letting letting outsiders into our church. You know, the old "that's my seat" syndrome.
In today's readings we see the early church struggling with how to treat outsiders. For as long as they can remember Jews and Gentiles were enemies. No one from the outside was allowed to worship their God or partake in the promises given to the Jewish people. They couldn't even have dinner with a Gentile without becoming defiled. But Jesus changed all that. He invited everyone to the banquet. Peter shared the story of God sending the Holy Spirit to people they thought would forever be on the outside. The Jews response was to glorify God and welcome the Gentiles in with open arms. Who do you see on the outside today that God would like you to invite into the banquet?
