In Christ There Is No East or West, ELW 650, Verse 2
Devotion
In Christ there is no east or west,
in him no south or north,
but one community of love
throughout the whole wide earth.
In Christ shall true hearts ev'rywhere
their high communion find;
his service is the golden cord
close binding humankind.
Join hands, disciples of the faith,
whate'er your race may be.
All children of the living God
are surely kin to me.
In Christ now meet both east and west,
in him meet south and north;
all Christly souls are one in him
throughout the whole wide earth.
Scripture and the Christian confessions consistently remind us that God wants all people to be saved. Yet how quickly we draw lines and put up walls around who qualifies as "all people." Verse 3 of today's hymn reminds us that for God "all people" really does mean all people. If we believe Jesus' words in this week's readings, then we are one family because we are disciples of Jesus and children of God. Let us repent of the ways we taunt each other and cause divisions in God's family, thus making Jesus a liar. Our sins are forgiven. Let us do God's will and discover how big God's family is!
Prayer
Savior of all people, empower us through the Holy Spirit to do God's will, rejoicing in the scope and diversity of your family. Amen.