From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. Isaiah 59:19 NIV  

Jesus said, “Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.  Luke 13:29-30  

Although Christianity started in a small area of the world, it has spread across the globe. In Luke 13:  the disciples are asking “who will be saved?” Who will actually get to be among those chosen special people that get to eat at the banquet of the Lord? Wonder if they assumed they would be in the special group, along with their own family and friends.  

Jesus tells a story to the disciples about laborers coming early, or coming late, but all doing the job they are assigned. The kingdom of heaven will not be limited to special people, or one ethnic group, or one group of people descended directly from an ancestor. Rather, as Isaiah said centuries earlier, people from the west and the east will revere God and His glory. Jesus says that people will come from every part of the earth, from all four directions and they will be in God’s kingdom.  

Not only does this include everyone, but it is also a part of evangelizing and spreading the Good News of the gospel to all the earth, so that all can participate. While we are here on earth, we need to include everyone no matter their race, ethnicity, or where they come from. NO limits to those that God calls and welcomes. This is expressed well in a hymn we sing from a poem written by John Oxenham, (1859-1941) who wrote these words in1903. First sung as a hymn around 1925.  

Verse 1 

In Christ there is no east or west,
in him no south or north,
but one community of love
throughout the whole wide earth.                                                                                                                                           

Verse 3 

Join hands, then, people of the faith,
whate’er your race may be.
All children of the living God
are surely kin to me.  

 

Lord, we marvel and stand in awe of the seating arrangements at your kingdom’s banquet table! You have invited all of us from all directions and every nation. Help us to remember that all are welcome at your table and in your kingdom. Thank you for being there for all people, in all places and time. Keep reminding us that differences of race, ethnicity or class are not important to You. Help us to join hands with people of God everywhere. In Jesus’ name, Amen   

Chris Gabel  

Ministries
Teaching Mission Party