Galatians 3:23-29 (NRSV)
Read Galatians 3:23-29 on biblegateway.com
Verse 23Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Verse 24Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. Verse 25But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, Verse 26for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. Verse 27As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Verse 28There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Verse 29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.
Devotion
The apostle Paul writes to the Galatians: "All of you are one in Jesus Christ."
The young woman is an outdoor girl. She celebrates creation every day as she skis or snowboards. She believes in God, but does not believe in going to church to worship God. She doesn't need us. I think of her when I pray the Lord's Prayer—"Our Father in heaven ..."—for we are a community. She doesn't need us (or so she thinks), but we need her to be complete. There is a hidden blessing in communion, whether we kneel at the rail or follow the footsteps of others to the bread and wine. We each are a cog in a great cloud of witnesses to God's forgiveness, love, and grace.
Prayer
Oh, blessed Lord, I worship you as "we," connected to all those with me and who came before me. Show me how to invite and welcome those who are missing from your table, so they can join in our unified strength. Amen.