2:39 For the promise is
to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord
our God will call.”
As we discussed yesterday there are many kinds of "afar
off". We talked about time and distance and emotional separation. Then we
keyed in on the "afar off" created by truth and error.
Today it's time to continue the discussion with a very
different kind of "afar off " - prejudice.

Based on the location where this happened I would not be
surprised at all if one or all of those officers was in church the weekend
before this incident and the following one. Please don't misunderstand me. This
is not about bashing police officers the vast majority of which I believe are
good people. This is about "afar off". We are divided by so many
things. We have classified humanity. We have invented words and terms to define
and degrade each other.
I remember reading the manuscript of a sermon years ago in
which the preacher described at length how black people can move their hips
from side to side so well, proving that God created them from service jobs like
waiters/waitresses and busboys etc...
The most shameful reality in my church is that in 2016 in the
United States we are still organized into churches and conferences by colour.
We all worship the same God yet remain divided by something as superficial as
skin colour. We are indeed "afar off". Can you imagine if you took
your chocolate Labrador Retriever to the vet in an emergency and were turned
away because the vet only served yellow Labs or black Labs. That very thing
happened at one of our hospitals. The young girl was light skinned but when
they discovered she had "black blood" they shipped her to the
"black" hospital in critical condition. She died on the way. Granted
that tragedy occurred over one hundred years ago but given what has been
happening recently I'm not convinced that in our hearts much has improved. When
a candidate for president wants to build a wall to keep out Mexicans and create
a registry for Muslim Americans is leading in the polls it gives one cause to
be alarmed. When the same candidate is endorsed by the National head of the KKK
and refuses to denounce his support it is frankly shocking that his popularity
went unchanged. When the same candidate is then endorsed by a prominent black
man from my church I am just left scratching my head. In so many ways across
this mass of humanity on this ball we call earth we are indeed "afar
off".
I could write endlessly about the crazy and myriad ways we
divide ourselves and unlike Jesus it all is. However that is not the point
Peter was making. Peter was making are far point he himself did not yet know
the depth of. He made a statement that stretched far beyond his own understanding.
The Promise is for everyone from every generation including those who are
"afar off".
If that isn't good news I'm not sure what is!!! The Promise
extends to every nation, every kindred, every tongue, and every people. There
is no place, no colour, no wall, no economic divide, no barrier of any kind
where His Spirit has not worked on both sides. I still believe the best days
and the worst days are yet to come. Those who surrender to the beautiful
unifying heart melting influence of His Spirit will demonstrate a depth of love
not yet seen while those who resist will become increasingly hateful.
I am thankful not only for the freedom of choice but that the freedom is extended to all no matter how 'afar off" we may be - even to those who do humiliating cavity searches on the side of the road or want to build walls to keep "them" out.
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