Galatians 1:13–17; 2:11–21
There’s a moment in the Galatians reading that feels uncomfortably close to home. Paul confronts Peter – not for what he said, but for what he did. Peter believed the gospel was for everyone. He knew God had broken down the barriers between Jew and Gentile. He knew that God’s love didn’t come with fine print. And yet, when others showed up, Peter drew back. He stopped eating with the Gentile believers. He acted out of fear. His behaviour sent a clear message: You’re not really welcome here.
Paul’s response is direct. “You are not acting in line with the truth of the gospel,” he says. Ouch. But necessary. Because the gospel isn’t just something we believe, it’s something we’re meant to live. And when our lives don’t reflect that truth, something has gone seriously off course.
We may not be drawing lines over table fellowship like Peter did, but the church today still wrestles with this tension: saying all are welcome while, in practice, sending the opposite message.
The sign out in front of our church says, “All are Welcome,” but do we actually make room?
Do we see our LGBTQ2S+ siblings, and celebrate their gifts and callings? Or do we quietly hope they won’t bring “too much” of themselves into the sanctuary?
Do we look a person who is unhoused in the eye, or do we avert our gaze and walk a little faster?
Do we talk about mental health with honesty and compassion, or do we stay silent and hope the discomfort passes?
Sometimes the lines we draw are invisible but no less real.
So let’s flip the perspective for a moment.
What would it feel like to walk into a church as someone who has been told – by word or by silence – that they don’t belong?
What would it feel like to hear “God loves you” but to be treated as a problem, a project, or someone barely tolerated?
What would it feel like to carry the weight of grief, trauma, poverty, or mental illness into a room where everyone seems to be pretending everything’s fine?
That ache? That tension? That’s what Paul was naming in Peter’s actions, and what we’re invited to name in ourselves.
To follow Jesus is to embody the truth we proclaim. It means letting love reshape our habits, our assumptions, our communities. This week, let’s ask ourselves:
- Who might feel out of place in the circles where I feel at home?
- What small shifts can I make to open the circle a little wider?
- Where is fear, comfort, or tradition keeping me from truly welcoming others?
The gospel is radical grace, and not just for some, but for all.
Let’s not just believe that. Let’s live it.
Let us pray:
God of welcome and grace, You call us to live what we believe, to make space at the table, to love with our actions, to reflect Your heart in how we show up. Forgive us for the times we’ve said “all are welcome” but made some feel like they weren’t. For the moments we’ve hesitated to embrace our siblings in creation, whatever road they are walking, forgive us. Soften us. Stretch us. Help us live the gospel fully with open hands, open hearts, and open doors. We offer this and all our prayers in the strong name of Christ, our brother and companion on the way. AMEN
