What I hear in the gospel lesson for today is that God loves us each and all, that the Holy One excludes no one. And that the Beloved has been trying to get that message across to us for a very long time as Jesus points out in the stories of the ancient prophets of Israel, Elijah and Elisha who demonstrated God’s love for others beyond the boundaries of the Hebrew people.

Christian churches of all stripes around the world have just celebrated the week of Prayers for Christian Unity, from January 18th, the Confession of St. Peter, to January 25th, the Conversion of St. Paul. It has been a time when Christians honor what we have in common with one another rather than focusing on the differences among us. After the recent meeting of the Anglican Primates in Canterbury, that is what our Presiding Bishop, the Most Reverend Michael Curry, said about the Episcopal Church, that we have learned to live together with out differences, respecting the consciences of those who disagree with us while recognizing we always have more work of love to do.

He encouraged us, as we walk with Jesus “on his way,” to recognize: “it may be part of our vocation to help the [Anglican] Communion and to help many others to grow in a direction where we can realize and live the love that God has for all of us, and we can one day be a Church and a Communion where all God’s children are fully welcomed, where this is truly a house of prayer for all people.” Love is the way.