Day 7 Transformation: Changing our hearts and minds
- Acts 28:3-6
“Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, ‘This man must be a murderer; though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.’ He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were expecting him to swell up or drop dead, but after they had waited a long time and saw that nothing unusual had happened to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.”
- Psalm 119:137-144
- Matthew 18:1-6
Reflection
Monster!
The headlines tear
like shards of glass through
ripped reputations
and tainted talents,
to be heard no more.
Hordes!
Names, stories, lives, compacted
into an anonymised mass.
Contempt for care,
rejection made righteous.
When will we turn
and dare to see the sister in the surge
of displaced existence,
and the brother
in the monster’s shame?
Prayer
Almighty God,
we turn to You with repentant hearts.
In our sincere quest for Your truth,
purify us from our unjust opinions of others
and lead the churches to grow in communion.
Help us let go of our fears,
and so better understand each other and the stranger in our midst,
and dare to love the rejected.
We ask this in the name of the Just One,
Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Questions
- Have you ever changed your mind about someone, for the better? Why?
- How has your church related to churches and congregations with very different theological ideas and/or cultures?
- Who are the outcasts in your community? How can your church better reach out to them?
Go and Do
Global: Find inspiration from stories of inclusion and overcoming prejudice in India.
Local: How are you as churches working with those on the fringes of society? Find out how you could be supported to do more.
Personal: Take steps to tackle prejudice or exclusion in your life and community.
