Embracing Biblical Perspectives on Inclusion and Courage
Explore the profound biblical perspectives on being welcomed, included, called, and equipped through the grace of Jesus Christ and the guidance of the Spirit. Discover how courage, humility, and eagerness play essential roles in welcoming diverse neighbors and embracing God's mission with an open heart and a willing spirit.
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Welcomed, Included, Called, and Equipped: Biblical Perspectives Dr. Michael J. Chan Executive Director for Faith and Learning, Concordia College
This begins with Jesus Christ . . . This begins with Jesus Christ . . .
Jesus Christ Welcomes us home through his overflowing grace, unstoppable love, and inexplicable compassion. Includes us in his mission to bring about liberation, healing, and repair in this world. Calls us into a relationship of trust and fidelity Equips us through the work of the Spirit to do God's work in the world.
"I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6)
The Spirit of Christ calls us to the same to welcome others, include them in our lives, and become equipped for the mission.
4 Sessions + 4 Big Ideas Welcoming and including diverse neighbors requires courage (Acts 9) Welcoming and including diverse neighbors requires us to change our minds and practices (Isaiah 56) God calls us to people and places that will stretch our imaginations, resources, and abilities (Exodus 3-4; Jeremiah 1) The Spirit calls us to have the spirit of an eager, humble, and hungry learner (Prov 2:1-15; 9:7-12)
Acts 9: Courage Acts 9: Courage
Big Idea Welcoming and including diverse neighbors requires courage (Acts 9)
Acts 9 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? 5 He asked, Who are you, Lord? The reply came, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do. 7 The men who were travelling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Acts 9 10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. He answered, Here I am, Lord. 11 The Lord said to him, Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision[a] a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight. 13 But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name. 15 But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; 16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. 17 So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul[b] and said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Isaiah 56: Change Isaiah 56: Change
Big Idea Welcoming and including diverse neighbors requires us to change our minds and practices.
Isaiah 56:1-8 Thus says the LORD: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed. 2 Happy is the mortal who does this, the one who holds it fast, who keeps the sabbath, not profaning it, and refrains from doing any evil. 3 Do not let the foreigner joined to the LORD say, The LORD will surely separate me from his people ; and do not let the eunuch say, I am just a dry tree. 4 For thus says the LORD: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, 5 I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.
Isaiah 56:1-8 Thus says the LORD: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed. 2 Happy is the mortal who does this, the one who holds it fast, who keeps the sabbath, not profaning it, and refrains from doing any evil. 3 Do not let the foreigner joined to the LORD say, The LORD will surely separate me from his people ; and do not let the eunuch say, I am just a dry tree. 4 For thus says the LORD: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, 5 I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.
Isaiah 56:1-8 And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it, and hold fast my covenant 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. 8 Thus says the Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered.[a]
Exodus 3 Exodus 3- -4, Jeremiah 1: Stretched 4, Jeremiah 1: Stretched
Big Idea God calls us to people and places that will stretch our imaginations, resources, and abilities
Exodus 3-4 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up. 4 When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, Moses, Moses! And he said, Here I am. 5 Then he said, Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. 6 He said further, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 7 Then the LORD said, I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. 11 But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? 12 He said, I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.
Exodus 3-4 13 But Moses said to God, If I come to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your ancestors has sent me to you , and they ask me, What is his name? what shall I say to them? 14 God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM. He said further, Thus you shall say to the Israelites, I AM has sent me to you. 15 God also said to Moses, Thus you shall say to the Israelites, The LORD,[b] the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you : This is my name for ever, and this my title for all generations. 16 Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and say to them, The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying: I have given heed to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 I declare that I will bring you up out of the misery of Egypt, to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey. 18 They will listen to your voice; and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; let us now go a three days journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. 19 I know, however, that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will perform in it; after that he will let you go. 21 I will bring this people into such favour with the Egyptians that, when you go, you will not go empty-handed; 22 each woman shall ask her neighbour and any woman living in the neighbour s house for jewellery of silver and of gold, and clothing, and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters; and so you shall plunder the Egyptians.
Exodus 3-4 Then Moses answered, But suppose they do not believe me or listen to me, but say, The LORD did not appear to you. 2 The LORD said to him, What is that in your hand? He said, A staff. 3 And he said, Throw it on the ground. So he threw the staff on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses drew back from it. 4 Then the LORD said to Moses, Reach out your hand, and seize it by the tail so he reached out his hand and grasped it, and it became a staff in his hand 5 so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you. 6 Again, the LORD said to him, Put your hand inside your cloak. He put his hand into his cloak; and when he took it out, his hand was leprous,[d]as white as snow. 7 Then God said, Put your hand back into your cloak so he put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored like the rest of his body 8 If they will not believe you or heed the first sign, they may believe the second sign. 9 If they will not believe even these two signs or heed you, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.
Exodus 3-4 10 But Moses said to the LORD, O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue. 11 Then the LORD said to him, Who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak. 13 But he said, O my Lord, please send someone else. 14 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses and he said, What of your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he can speak fluently; even now he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you his heart will be glad. 15 You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do. 16 He indeed shall speak for you to the people; he shall serve as a mouth for you, and you shall serve as God for him. 17 Take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.
Prov 2:1 Prov 2:1- -15; 9:7 15; 9:7- -12: Equipped 12: Equipped
Big Idea The Spirit calls us to have the spirit of an eager, humble, and hungry learner.
Prov 2:1-15 2 My child, if you accept my words and treasure up my commandments within you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 if you indeed cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding; 4 if you seek it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures 5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD AND FIND THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly, 8 guarding the paths of justice and preserving the way of his faithful ones.
Prov 2:1-15 Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; 10 for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 prudence will watch over you; and understanding will guard you. 12 It will save you from the way of evil, from those who speak perversely, 13 who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, 14 who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil; 15 those whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.
Prov 9:7-12 Whoever corrects a scoffer wins abuse; whoever rebukes the wicked gets hurt. 8 A scoffer who is rebuked will only hate you; the wise, when rebuked, will love you. 9 Give instruction[b] to the wise, and they will become wiser still; teach the righteous and they will gain in learning. 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. 11 For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. 12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it.
Review and Reflection Review and Reflection
4 Texts, 4 Sessions, 4 Big Ideas Welcoming and including diverse neighbors requires courage (Acts 9) Welcoming and including diverse neighbors requires us to change our minds and practices (Isaiah 56) God calls us to people and places that will stretch our imaginations, resources, and abilities (Exodus 3-4; Jeremiah 1) The Spirit calls us to have the spirit of an eager, humble, and hungry learner (Prov 2:1-15; 9:7-12)
Reflection Questions What has shifted this week in your mind or heart? How is the Spirit summoning us to action in ways that stretch our imaginations, skills, or resources? What divine promises are fear and insecurity preventing us from acknowledging and believing? How are we called to change our ideas, practices, and customs in order to accompany our increasingly diverse neighbors? Are you hungry, eager, and open to learning?
