At the Table | Seeing Like Jesus

26 You are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:26-28 (CEB)

Imagine if you could put on special glasses that let you see people the way Jesus sees them. What would change about your perspective? Instead of seeing that person who drives you crazy at work, you'd see someone God loves deeply. Instead of seeing that family member who always pushes your buttons, you'd see someone Jesus died for. Instead of seeing that person whose politics make you angry, you'd see a child of God.

Paul is essentially giving us those glasses in this passage. He's telling us that in Christ, all the categories we use to divide people become irrelevant. The things we think make us superior or inferior to others – our race, our economic status, our gender, our education level, our political affiliation – none of that changes our standing with God.

This doesn't mean our differences don't exist or don't matter. Paul isn't saying we should pretend we're all identical. He's saying that our differences shouldn't determine our worth or our place in God's family. We're all equally loved, equally valued, equally welcomed at God's table.

When we gather around the communion table, we're making a statement about how we see each other. We're saying that the person sitting next to us – regardless of how they voted in the last election, how much money they make, what color their skin is, or how they choose to dress – is just as much a child of God as we are.

That means the homeless person has the same access to God's grace as the millionaire. It means the immigrant family and the longtime community members are equally welcome in God's house. It means the teenager with questions about faith and the elderly person with decades of biblical knowledge both belong at the same table.

Personal Application: Who do you have a hard time seeing as equally loved by God? What "glasses" are you wearing that distort how you view certain people? How might communion change your perspective on them?

Prayer: God, help us see others through your eyes instead of through our own prejudices and preferences. Remind us that everyone around the communion table is equally your child, equally loved, equally welcome. Break down the barriers in our hearts and help us love like you love – without favoritism or conditions. Amen.