Different But Still The Same

Scripture of the Week: Acts 11:1-18

Message: Sometimes two things that are very different still can work together really well.

Think about a needle and a thread? The needle is metal. It is strong and sharp. The thread is usually made of cotton and it can be easily broken. These two things work well together but are very different, Actually, neither of them are very useful on their own but used together they can make many useful and beautiful things. You can have 10 needles, but without thread, what good are they? Also, you could have a whole pile of thread, but you couldn't make anything without at least one needle.

The same is true about a hammer and a nail. They both look very different, don't they. When they work together, they can hold boards together and build all kinds of useful things. A bunch of hammers can't do anything without the nails and the nails can't do anything without the hammers.

This week in the Bible we read a story about when Peter traveled to be with people who had “received the word of God” (11:1). The other disciples asked Peter why he would go to be with people who were so different from themselves. Peter answered that God’s Spirit told him not to look at people that way. He was not to pay any attention to the differences of people. People are people. Period. The story goes on to tell us that God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is given to all who accept God’s love.

We can think of many ways we are different: We have different colored hair, live in different places, speak different languages, go to different schools, we have different dreams and talents….. Today’s story teaches us that none of this matters. When we accept God’s love, we are all filled with the same Spirit – God’s Holy Spirit. We can learn from each other and work well together to build a better world.

adapted from Lois Parker Edstrom's "One Spirit For All"