3 Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. 4 Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others. Philippians 2:3-4 (CEB) The most powerful way to overcome division isn't through debate or argument, it's through empathy. When we take time to really understand someone else's experience, when we listen to their story with genuine care, when we try to see the world through their eyes, walls start to come down. This is what Jesus did for us. He didn't stay in heaven and try to fix us from a distance. He didn't send down rules and requirements without understanding what it was like to live as a human being. Instead, he came down and walked in our shoes, literally experiencing what we experience. Jesus knew what it felt like to be tired after a long day of work. He knew the frustration of being misunderstood by people who should have supported him. He experienced the pain of being betrayed by a close friend. He felt the weight of responsibility and the pressure of expectations. Because Jesus walked in our shoes, he can empathize with our struggles in a way that transforms our relationship with God. We don't serve a distant deity who issues commands without understanding our limitations. We serve someone who has been where we are and knows what we're going through. And if that's how Jesus treated us, that's how we should treat each other. Before we judge someone's choices, we need to understand their circumstances. Before we criticize someone's struggles, we need to consider what they've been through. Before we dismiss someone's perspective, we need to listen to their story. This doesn't mean we never disagree or never hold each other accountable. But it means we approach each other with the same empathy and understanding that Jesus showed us. It means we're quick to listen and slow to judge. It means we value relationships more than being right. Personal Application:  This week, look for an opportunity to really listen to someone whose perspective is different from yours. Ask questions not to prove your point, but to understand theirs. How might their experience have shaped their views in ways you hadn't considered? Prayer:  Jesus, thank you for walking in our shoes so completely that you understand everything we go through. Help us follow your example by seeking to understand others before asking to be understood. Give us patient hearts and listening ears. Help us build bridges through empathy rather than walls through judgment. Amen.

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.

14 Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us. 15 He canceled the detailed rules of the Law so that he could create one new person out of the two groups, making peace. 16 He reconciled them both as one body to God by the cross, which ended the hostility to God. Ephesians 2:14-16 (CEB) The greatest divide in human history wasn't between political parties, economic classes, or fans of different sports team. It was between humanity and God. Our sin had created a chasm so wide, so deep, that we could never cross it on our own. But Jesus didn't just talk about bridging divides, he became the bridge. When he became human, he didn't choose sides in the cosmic conflict between divine justice and human need. Instead, he became one of us to understand us completely, and he remained fully God to represent us perfectly. So Jesus literally walked in our shoes. He experienced our struggles, felt our pain, faced our temptations. He knew what it was like to be tired, hungry, misunderstood, and rejected. He understood us not just intellectually, but experientially. And because he understood us, he could help us. This is the pattern Jesus gives us for dealing with division. If we want to overcome the things that separate us from others, we need to do what Jesus did. We need to empathize. We need to walk in their shoes. We need to listen to their stories. We need to understand their perspective. Empathy doesn't mean agreeing with everyone about everything. Jesus didn't approve of all our choices when he became one of us. But he chose to understand us before he tried to change us. He chose to love us before he tried to correct us. He chose to identify with us before he asked us to identify with him. There is no unity without empathy. We can't bridge divides with people we refuse to understand. We can't love people whose experiences we dismiss or ignore. We can't be one body if we don't care about the pain other parts of the body are feeling. Personal Application:  Think of someone you disagree with or find difficult. How might you "walk in their shoes" this week? What would it look like to listen to their story with genuine empathy, even if you don't agree with their conclusions? Prayer:  Jesus, thank you for becoming one of us to bridge the divide between us and God. Help us follow your example by seeking to understand others before asking to be understood. Give us hearts of empathy for people who are different from us. Help us bridge divides by listening, caring, and walking in others' shoes. Amen.

16 Isn’t the cup of blessing that we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Isn’t the loaf of bread that we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Since there is one loaf of bread, we who are many are one body, because we all share the one loaf of bread. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (CEB) When you break a loaf of bread and share it with others, something beautiful happens. Each person gets a different piece – some bigger, some smaller, some from the crust, some from the center – they all come from the same loaf. They all share the same essence, the same source. That's Paul's image for the church. We're all different pieces of the same loaf. We come from different backgrounds, have different personalities, hold different preferences, but we all share the same source...Jesus Christ. We all partake of the same spiritual nourishment. We're all part of the same body. And this isn't just a nice metaphor. Paul is making a practical point about how communion should shape our relationships with each other. When we drink from the same cup and eat from the same bread, we're declaring that we belong to each other. We're saying that what happens to one of us matters to all of us. Think about your physical body for a moment. When your foot hurts, your whole body adjusts. Your other muscles compensate. Your brain focuses on the pain. Your hands might reach down to massage the injured area. The rest of your body doesn't ignore the foot or criticize it for being weak. No, it rallies to help. That's how Paul says the church should work. When one member suffers, we all suffer. When one member rejoices, we all rejoice. We don't get to pick and choose which parts of the body we want to care about. We're connected whether we like it or not. This has profound implications for how we treat each other, especially the people in our church community who are different from us, who annoy us, or who hold opinions we disagree with. They're not just fellow churchgoers – they're part of the same body we are. Personal Application:  How does seeing other Christians as part of the same body change your perspective on people you find difficult or disagreeable? What would it look like to treat them as essential parts of the same body you belong to? Prayer:  Jesus, thank you for making us one body through communion with you. Help us see other believers not as strangers or opponents, but as essential parts of the same body we belong to. When others hurt, help us feel their pain. When others rejoice, help us share their joy. Make us truly one. Amen.

10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you but that you be knit together in the same mind and the same purpose. 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NRSVUE) Early birds versus night owls. Dog people versus cat people. Kentucky versus Louisville. Coffee versus tea. These might seem like harmless preferences, but if you've ever been in a room where people are passionately debating any of these topics, you know how quickly friendly differences can create division. We live in a world that seems more divided than ever. Political parties that can't find common ground. Social media echo chambers that reinforce our existing beliefs. Families split over everything from vaccination policies to social justice issues. Churches fractured over worship styles, theological interpretations, and cultural questions. It's tempting to think this is a uniquely modern problem, but division has been part of human nature since the beginning. The church in Corinth that Paul wrote to was deeply divided. They had factions claiming different leaders. They argued over who was most spiritual. They looked down on each other over dietary choices and spiritual gifts. Sound familiar? We may not be arguing over the same specific issues, but we're still finding ways to create "us versus them" categories. We still struggle with the human tendency to define ourselves by who we're not like rather than by what we share in common. But here's what's fascinating about Paul's appeal for unity: he doesn't ask them to pretend their differences don't exist. He doesn't suggest they all become identical. Instead, he points them toward something bigger than their differences. He points them toward their shared identity in Christ. When we let our preferences, opinions, and even deeply held convictions become more important than our unity in Christ, we miss the point of what it means to be the church. We become just another divided group arguing about who's right instead of a community transformed by God's love. Personal Application:  What differences tend to create division in your relationships, family, or church? How might focusing on your shared identity in Christ change how you approach those differences? Prayer:  God, we confess that we often let our differences divide us instead of letting our unity in Christ unite us. Help us see past the things that separate us to the love that binds us together. Teach us to disagree with grace and to find our identity in you rather than in our opinions or preferences. Amen.

From the car you prefer to drive to the way you like to spend your free time, our lives are filled with choices we make that can divide us. So how can we, as followers of Jesus, find a way to be united when there are so many things that try to pull us apart?   At the communion table, we're reminded that no matter our differences, we are one body: the body of Christ.

19 We love because God first loved us. 1 John 4:19 (Common English Bible) Karl Barth was one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. He wrote volumes on complex doctrines and spent his life studying the deepest mysteries of faith. But when someone asked him the most profound truth he'd learned, his answer was beautifully simple: "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." Sometimes the deepest truths are the simplest ones. Sometimes the most profound theology can be summed up in a children's song. Sometimes the answer to our most complex questions about faith comes down to this: God loves you. Not God will love you if you get your act together. Not God might love you if you try harder. Not God could love you if you were different. God loves you. Period. Right now. Just as you are. This is why you have a place at God's table. Not because you've earned it through perfect attendance at church or flawless moral behavior. Not because you've said the right prayers or believed the right things. You have a place at God's table because God loves you and wants you there. When we really understand this, everything changes. We stop trying to earn God's love and start enjoying it. We stop performing for God's approval and start resting in his acceptance. We stop worrying about whether we're good enough and start marveling at how good God is. When we truly experience God's unconditional love, it overflows into how we love others. We stop being stingy with grace because we've experienced how generous God is with grace. We stop being judgmental because we remember how patient God has been with us. The communion table reminds us of this love every time we gather around it. The bread broken for us. The cup poured out for us. All of it saying the same thing: you are loved, you belong here, you have a place at this table. Personal Application:  Do you really believe God loves you just as you are? How might your life change if you lived from this truth instead of trying to earn God's love through performance? Prayer:  Jesus, thank you for loving us completely and unconditionally. Help us rest in your love instead of trying to earn it. When we're tempted to believe we don't belong at your table, remind us that our place is secure because of your grace, not our goodness. Fill us with such confidence in your love that it overflows to others who need to know they're loved too. Amen.

21 When he returned, the servant reported these excuses to his master. The master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go quickly to the city’s streets, the busy ones and the side streets, and bring the poor, crippled, blind, and lame.’ 22 The servant said, ‘Master, your instructions have been followed and there is still room.’ 23 The master said to the servant, ‘Go to the highways and back alleys and urge people to come in so that my house will be filled. Luke 14:21-23 (Common English Bible) When the "appropriate" guests couldn't come to the banquet, the host did something scandalous. He sent his servants to invite people who would never have made the original guest list. The poor who couldn't afford fine clothes. The disabled who might make other guests uncomfortable. The outcasts who lived on the margins of society. This wasn't just charity or pity. This was a radical reimagining of who belongs at God's table. The host wanted his house filled, and he wasn't picky about who filled it. All that mattered was that people came. We like to think we're more inclusive than the religious people of Jesus' day, but we still struggle with this. We still have unspoken guest lists for God's table. We still think some people are more worthy of God's love than others. We still find ourselves surprised when God welcomes people we wouldn't have invited. The recovering addict who stumbles into church. The person with the messy divorce who doesn't fit our idea of family values. The immigrant family who speaks a different language. The wealthy person we assume doesn't need God. The homeless person who makes us uncomfortable. God's invitation goes out to all of them. Not because they've cleaned up their act first. Not because they promise to change. Not because they meet our criteria for respectability. Simply because God loves them and wants them at his table. This should humble us. If God's invitation is based on his grace rather than our worthiness, then none of us deserve to be there any more than anyone else. We're all unexpected guests at God's table. We're all recipients of unmerited favor. Personal Application:  Who would you be surprised to see at God's table? What does your surprise reveal about your understanding of God's grace? How might God be calling you to extend his invitation to unexpected people? Prayer:  God, thank you for inviting unexpected guests to your table – including us. Help us see others the way you see them, as beloved children who deserve a place at your feast. Break down our barriers and prejudices. Use us to extend your invitation to people we might overlook or avoid. Fill your house with all kinds of people who know they're loved by you. Amen.

16 Jesus replied, “A certain man hosted a large dinner and invited many people. 17 When it was time for the dinner to begin, he sent his servant to tell the invited guests, ‘Come! The dinner is now ready.’ 18 One by one, they all began to make excuses. The first one told him, ‘I bought a farm and must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I bought five teams of oxen, and I’m going to check on them. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ Luke 14:16-20 (Common English Bible) The people who turned down the dinner invitation weren't bad people. They had legitimate responsibilities. They business to attend to, property to inspect, a new marriage to nurture. These weren't frivolous excuses or rebellious rejections. They were just...busy. And that's exactly what makes this parable so challenging for those of us living in the 21st century. We're all busy. We all have legitimate demands on our time. We all have responsibilities that feel urgent and important. The host in Jesus' parable represents God, throwing a feast and inviting people to join him. But the invited guests – the religious people, the ones who should have been first in line – were too caught up in the demands of daily life to accept the invitation. Sound familiar? How many times have we been too busy for God? Too occupied with work to pray regularly. Too exhausted from our schedules to read scripture. Too overwhelmed with family responsibilities to serve others. Too stressed about our own problems to notice people in need. We don't wake up intending to reject God's invitation. We don't consciously choose other things over God. We just get caught up in the urgent and lose sight of the important. We let the good crowd out the best. The tragedy isn't that these people were evil. It's that they missed out on something wonderful because they were distracted by things that felt necessary in the moment. They chose the temporary over the eternal, the urgent over the important, the good over the best. God's invitation to join his feast – to experience his love, to participate in his kingdom, to find our place at his table – is always open. But it requires us to say yes. And saying yes often means saying no to other things, even good things. Personal Application:  What good things in your life might be crowding out God's best? How might you need to adjust your priorities to make room for God's invitation? Prayer:  God, forgive us for the times we've been too busy for you. Help us see that our urgent responsibilities, while important, shouldn't crowd out our relationship with you. Teach us to recognize your invitations and give us wisdom to know when to say no to good things so we can say yes to your best. Amen.

9 The host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give your seat to this other person.’ Embarrassed, you will take your seat in the least important place. 10 Instead, when you receive an invitation, go and sit in the least important place. When your host approaches you, he will say, ‘Friend, move up here to a better seat.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11 All who lift themselves up will be brought low, and those who make themselves low will be lifted up.” Luke 14:9-11 (Common English Bible) Jesus loves to turn our expectations upside down. In the world's economy, you work your way up the ladder. You prove yourself worthy of promotion. You earn your seat at the big table through talent, effort, and strategic networking. But God's kingdom operates on completely different principles. The first shall be last. The greatest among you will be your servant. Those who humble themselves will be exalted. It's backwards from everything we've been taught about success and advancement. When Jesus tells people to take the lowest seat, he's not teaching them a clever social strategy to get promoted. He's revealing something about the nature of God's kingdom. In God's economy, humility isn't weakness; it's wisdom. Servanthood isn't failure; it's greatness. Taking the lower seat isn't settling for less; it's positioning ourselves to receive more than we ever imagined. This goes against everything our culture teaches us. We're told to promote ourselves, demand our rights, make sure people know our worth. We're taught to network our way to the top, to "fake it till we make it," to never let them see us sweat. But Jesus suggests a radically different approach: take the humble position and trust God to lift you up in his timing and his way. Stop scrambling for recognition and let your character speak for itself. Quit trying to impress people and focus on serving them instead. This doesn't mean we become doormats or refuse to use our gifts. It means we stop deriving our identity from our position and start finding it in God's love. We stop measuring our worth by where we sit and start measuring it by how much God loves us. Personal Application:  Where are you fighting for recognition or status? What would it look like to "take the lower seat" in that situation and trust God with the outcome? Prayer:  Jesus, your kingdom is so different from the world's way of thinking. Help us trust your upside-down values – that humility leads to honor, that serving leads to greatness, that taking the lower seat positions us to receive your best. Give us the courage to stop fighting for position and start focusing on character. Amen.

7 When Jesus noticed how the guests sought out the best seats at the table, he told them a parable. 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding celebration, don’t take your seat in the place of honor. Someone more highly regarded than you could have been invited by your host. Luke 14:7-8 (Common English Bible) Remember being the new kid? Walking into a school cafeteria for the first time, scanning the room, trying to figure out where you belonged? Wondering if anyone would make room for you at their table, or if you'd end up eating lunch alone? That feeling doesn't go away when we become adults. We still walk into rooms wondering where we fit. We still scan the conference table at work, wondering if we're important enough to speak up. We still feel uncertain at family gatherings, church events, or neighborhood barbecues, trying to figure out our place. The dinner guests in Jesus' story were doing exactly what we do, they were trying to secure their place at the table by grabbing the best seats. They thought if they could just position themselves correctly, if they could just prove they belonged with the important people, they'd finally feel secure. But Jesus watched this scramble for status and saw something we often miss: these people were trying to earn their place at the table. They believed their worth depended on where they sat, who recognized them, how others perceived their importance. We do the same thing, don't we? We try to earn our place at the table through our achievements, our connections, our possessions, our performance. We think if we can just accomplish enough, look good enough, know the right people, or say the right things, we'll finally belong. But the truth is that there will always be someone richer, smarter, more connected, or more accomplished than we are. If we base our worth on earning our place at important tables, we'll spend our whole lives feeling insecure and inadequate. But Jesus has a different way. He's about to show these dinner guests, and us, that in God's kingdom, nobody earns their place at the table. We belong because we're invited, not because we're impressive. Personal Application:  Where in your life are you still trying to earn your place at the table? What would change if you really believed your worth comes from God's invitation, not your performance? Prayer:  God, we confess that we often try to earn our place at important tables through our achievements and performance. Help us rest in the truth that you invite us to your table not because of what we've done, but because of who we are to you – your beloved children. Free us from the exhausting scramble for status and help us find our identity in your love. Amen.

We live in a world that constantly tells us we have to earn our place at the table by being the strongest, the richest, or the most popular. But no matter how hard you try, there will always be people who seem to be better than you.   But that's not how it works in God's kingdom. In God's kingdom, everyone has a place at the table...not because we've earned it but because God wants us to be there.