Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 (NRSV)
Read Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 11I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. Verse 2God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? Verse 29for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Verse 30Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, Verse 31so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. Verse 32For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.
Devotion
When I was 5, my mom married the man who would adopt me and become my dad. At first I wasn’t crazy about the idea of them getting married. I wasn’t sure there was enough love to go around with this new person in our lives. What I discovered was there was actually more love to share.
The same is true for us with God. “God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.” When new people enter our tight-knit congregations, a community who have first known God’s love and received mercy, now there are others who are receiving that same mercy and experiencing God’s love. There is more than enough to go around.
We haven’t been forgotten or rejected. Paul reminds us: “The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” From our solid place of community, with those new to our community, we get the opportunity to experience more mercy and more love—God being merciful to all.
Prayer
Thank you, O God, for your irrevocable love and mercy for each one of us. Let that abundance be a beacon for those who have yet to experience your welcome. Amen.
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