April 5 Lenten Devotional "Each Person A Child of God"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . ." On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”
Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?  Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?”  Thus the people were divided because of Jesus." (John 7:40-43)

CONSIDER. . .The Pharisees in this scripture claimed that the working people in town were being led astray by this false prophet from Galilee. The Pharisees were frustrated that these common people didn't know the law or the scriptures.  If they knew the scriptures certainly they would not expect that the Messiah would come from this obscure place. Nicodemus tried to talk the Pharisees into opening their minds and giving Jesus a chance, but they refused. They just couldn't get beyond Jesus being from Galilee.  Jesus was not from Galilee, nor was he simply a prophet; He was from God.

SO WHAT. . .Do you look down on people because they come from the "wrong side of town" or from a country you know little about?  Can you disregard the housing project or the homeless center, or any other circumstance that keeps you from seeing that each person comes from God and deserves to be loved?

• Who is God placing in your life, regardless of their circumstance, for you to share Jesus with?
• Can you open yourself to begin seeing others as God does?
• Is God calling you to stand up for the disenfranchised in your community? in the world?

PRAYER. . . Gracious God, free me from the prejudices and judgment of others. Give me the grace to see each person as a child of God with potential and promise, regardless of where they live or what their outward appearance may be. Give me the courage to stand up and advocate for those who are judged because of their external circumstance. Amen.