Get up and go (outsiders welcome)!
by Peter Bean
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Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you (Jonah 3:2).
Read Jonah 3:1–10
Jonah was not thrilled about this task. He had already gone in the opposite direction (Jonah 1:3), concluding, I guess, that he knew better than God.
But God was not to be deterred. Despite Jonah’s refusal to follow directions, God told him again: GO! Give them a message: a message of destruction; a message of repentance; a message about a second chance (do you get it yet, Jonah?).
Nineveh was a great city; Nineveh was an evil city; Nineveh was not the chosen people or country. Nineveh was a city of outsiders. But Jonah, the messenger of God’s judgement and grace, was to go there. Jonah was not impressed with God: not with the instructions he had been given to go, not with God showing grace (Jonah 4:1), not with God teaching Jonah a lesson (Jonah 4:9).
Despite his unhappiness and unwillingness to be this messenger, God worked through him – and in him. Jonah proclaimed the message; the king and the people of Nineveh repented. God showed mercy and grace.
What do I learn from this passage and the Book of Jonah? God works in mysterious ways! God is willing to use unhappy, grumpy people to share his message. God welcomes outsiders.
And God can use you and me – happy or unhappy, joyful or grumpy – to share the good news of grace and kindness, new life and compassion.
How and where is God telling you to go? What is your response?
God, work in me. Even when I am unwilling, let your love flow through me to those I may not consider worthy, but whom you look on with love. Amen.
Spring has sprung. Flowers are displaying their colours; fruit is forming on the trees. There is new growth everywhere. As you observe this wonderful new life, may you revel in the new beginnings God offers you each day. As Peter continues to meander his way through the Book of Psalms, he invites you to read them anew and apply them to your life. If you would like his paraphrase of any psalm (from 1 to 120), send your request to pbean087@gmail.com
Restoration and comfort (outsiders welcome)
by Peter Bean
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I will restore the crushed spirit of the humble … I will comfort those who mourn (Isaiah 57:15b,18b).
Read Isaiah 57:14–21
Interesting pictures in this passage. The Holy One lives in a high and holy place (verse 15). Separate, above, distant!
Yet, this Holy One is also very practical and down-to-earth, restoring roads and clearing rocks (verse 14). This Holy One also comforts the humble and revives repentant hearts (verse 15), comforts those who mourn and brings peace and healing (verses 18,19). So, God, from this high and holy place, is also willing to get down into the nitty-gritty parts of life.
This, of course, occurs in the person and presence of Jesus. Jesus comforts those who mourn; he heals many; he often talks to the humble and restores them to places of dignity; he tells people their sins are forgiven when he sees their faith (Matthew 9:2). And he often sends people away with a blessing of peace (Mark 5:34).
God incarnate! The high and holy one, come to earth. God with us, preaching, healing, praying, blessing, encouraging, comforting. Perhaps Isaiah knew something! He was a prophet. Challenging and yet reassuring the people, but also foretelling the One to come, the Christ – the divine One, Jesus – the human One, mixing and living with ordinary people, often those from outside normal circles!
The Holy Spirit is at work here: hovering over God’s people as they begin to return from exile; working in the hearts of those who gathered to hear from Jesus in the flesh; encouraging and inspiring us today. The Holy Spirit prepares people to hear the gospel, to live the gospel. And the Holy Spirit does this within and without the confines of official religion!
May you be restored and comforted, not from a distance, but within your heart as the Holy Spirit stirs you to new life. And may you extend that comfort and restoration to anyone ‘outside’ who does not yet know the grace and blessing of Christ’s peace in their lives.
Comforter, Restorer, move and inspire me that I may offer comfort and restoration. Amen.
Spring has sprung. Flowers are displaying their colours; fruit is forming on the trees. There is new growth everywhere. As you observe this wonderful new life, may you revel in the new beginnings God offers you each day. As Peter continues to meander his way through the Book of Psalms, he invites you to read them anew and apply them to your life. If you would like his paraphrase of any psalm (from 1 to 120), send your request to pbean087@gmail.com
All the world (outsiders welcome)
by Peter Bean
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Let all the world look to me for salvation (Isaiah 45:22a).
Read Isaiah 45:21–25
If you read this entire passage from Isaiah, you might be struck, as I was, by the allusions to other parts of the Bible.
Isaiah 45:21a reminds me of Isaiah 1:18a: ‘Come and let us reason together.’ Isaiah 45:21b reminds me of Job 38:4a (worth reading separately as we near the end of the Season of Creation): ‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?’
Isaiah 45:22b echoes a recurring theme throughout Isaiah (e.g. 45:5,6) and the Bible: ‘I am the Lord; there is no other God.’ Isaiah 45:23b echoes the wonderful statement in Philippians 2:10,11 that every knee will bow and every tongue confess.
Perhaps these are all tied together in the thought expressed in Isaiah 45:22a: ‘Let all the world …!’ The God of the Old Testament, alongside the practices of Jesus, seems to have no favourites. Or, putting it more accurately: everyone is a favourite of God.
God, the Creator of all things and the giver of all gifts, looks on each one of us with favour. It’s a bit different to how I look at other people when I consider their actions. But God wants all to be saved. This is shown clearly through Jesus’ words and actions: he explains love in action through the good Samaritan, the woman at the well, the unclean leper(s) and so on. Jesus lets us know the kingdom is for all who accept God’s mercy and grace in their lives.
I wonder whether Isaiah, with the wide scope of his words, anticipated the natural human desire to narrow the scope of the gospel to those who believe in a certain way, or act according to particular laws (of morality?).
But Isaiah declares (remember he is writing to the people in exile here) that God is above all earthly powers, all religious rules, all pious morality, and welcomes all who respond to kindness and justice, mercy and grace.
Thank you, giver of all good gifts, for the gift of your love and acceptance of me. Help me to extend these gifts to others. In Jesus’ name and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Spring has sprung. Flowers are displaying their colours; fruit is forming on the trees. There is new growth everywhere. As you observe this wonderful new life, may you revel in the new beginnings God offers you each day. As Peter continues to meander his way through the Book of Psalms, he invites you to read them anew and apply them to your life. If you would like his paraphrase of any psalm (from 1 to 120), send your request to pbean087@gmail.com
By what authority (outsiders welcome)?
by Peter Bean
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Then I will tell you by what authority I do these things (Matthew 21:24b).
Read Matthew 21:23–32
There is an overall theme in our readings this week of ‘outsiders welcome’!
It begins in today’s reading, with Jesus and the religious leaders clashing over authority. Authority seems to be important. We like to know who is in charge. Political parties make hay out of law and order. We often like black-and-white answers and respond positively to them.
But Jesus is not like this. You want to know my authority? You can’t even answer my simple question. So, I’ll leave the mystery hanging in the air. He then tells a parable that seems to have a simple meaning. Except when Jesus explains it, it challenges all authority.
Who’s getting into the kingdom of God first? Not those who live upright lives, who obey the law. Rather, it is those we don’t want to associate with. The ones we are happy to speak about in bad terms. The ones we would condemn!
Oh, oh! Whose authority counts here? It seems to me that our rules can be dangerous. Those we consider insiders, worthy of respect and law-abiding, are not so highly regarded after all. Instead, the outsiders are welcome: the lowly, the sinners, those who don’t live as we expect, those who respond to unexpected grace.
God’s grace is not based on human authority. Human authority is not Jesus’ guide to life. Rather, it is the gift of grace; the welcome to the outsiders; the welcome to all and any who can put aside their own prejudices and notions of right and wrong, and instead respond to God’s mysterious and wonderful gift of forgiveness and life.
Lord Jesus, thank you for challenging human authority and showing a better way. Help me to respond to your love and mercy, and extend love and mercy to all I come across. Amen.
Spring has sprung. Flowers are displaying their colours; fruit is forming on the trees. There is new growth everywhere. As you observe this wonderful new life, may you revel in the new beginnings God offers you each day. As Peter continues to meander his way through the Book of Psalms, he invites you to read them anew and apply them to your life. If you would like his paraphrase of any psalm (from 1 to 120), send your request to pbean087@gmail.com
Around the throne
by Andreas Spingler
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After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude … from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages (Revelation 7:9a).
Read Revelation 7:9–17
This amazing vision of the seer John leaves me in awe. Here, at the throne of God, at the goal of God’s story with his people, true unity in all diversity has finally become real. People from every nation, tribe, people and language are gathered in unity before the throne of God and before the Lamb, worshipping him together. That’s not uniformity, not at all, but genuine unity.
Ever since the days of the Tower of Babel, humankind has tried to achieve unity. Yet it has often followed the same old recipe as the builders of Babel: ‘Come, let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the face of the whole earth’ (Genesis 11:4). Usually, the results were poor, or they ended in uniformity.
I’ve been living in Papua New Guinea for some time, a country in which 10 million people speak more than 800 languages. This remarkable diversity is unfortunately often a cause for misunderstandings, conflict and violence. We humans seem to be able to achieve either diversity or unity, but rarely both.
So what brings people together before the throne of God in this unity amid diversity? Two things stand out to me.
First, the shared worship. Before the throne of God, we’re no longer making a name for ourselves, but together, we lift up the name of the Lord, and that unites us.
Second, and perhaps even more deeply, the white robes. Although we come before his throne from countless different cultures, we all wear the same white robes. A few verses later, we learn where they come from: ‘They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb’ (Revelation 7:14).
What truly unites people before the throne of God is Jesus’ saving work on the cross. There, our differences are no longer a cause of conflict, but a reason for joy. In this unity, which is formed by the blood of Jesus and expressed in the praise of God, our diversity becomes pure richness.
How does God’s vision of people from every nation gathered around his throne shape the way you view Christian unity today?
Pray for the students, lecturers and staff of Lutheran Highlands Seminary as they live and learn together amid the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of Papua New Guinea. Pray that the seminary is a living witness to the vision of Revelation 7, where people from every nation and language gather together in worship before the Lamb.
Andreas Spingler is a lecturer at Lutheran Highlands Seminary in Ogelbeng, Papua New Guinea.
The gift of understanding
by Gabriele Hoerschelmann
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We, though many, are one body in Christ (Romans 12:5a).
Read Romans 12:1–8
What troublesome but exciting times! How frightened the disciples must have been after Jesus’ death at the cross, then the news brought by the women that he had risen from the dead, and now some of them were witnessing Christ’s ascension to heaven. It must have felt like a rollercoaster, with steep ups and downs, with changing moods and emotions, with despair and hope taking turns.
How understandable that on the day of Pentecost they were all gathered in one place. They sought safe community and comforting companionship with one another. As close friends, they wanted to be together, because who knows what’s to be expected next? And how right they were.
In Acts 2, we read: ‘And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.’ What a frightening experience this must have been. And this wasn’t even enough: ‘Divided tongues as of fire appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.’ They suddenly and unexpectedly saw and felt the Holy Spirit like fire resting on each one of them and filling the whole place where they were gathering.
They next experienced the Holy Spirit enabling them to understand each other, no matter which language they were speaking. It caused considerable amazement among those gathered who asked, ‘What does this mean?’ But, of course, the sneering from some others was inevitable as well.
But let’s ask why understanding each other, despite different languages, was the gift the Holy Spirit gave the believers gathered in the very first place. This unity isn’t something we create ourselves, but a gift from Christ, who made us one through his death and resurrection, and who continues to gather us by his Spirit.
We know that good relationships grow and thrive with good communication. Listening to each other helps understanding, and understanding the other helps overcome arguments. This is important for every community in the world, and it’s important for gaining peace among people. As people whom the Holy Spirit has already brought into one body, listening to one another helps us live out this unity. As we seek to understand one another’s perspectives, our community grows in unity.
People are different, as are their life experiences and often also their opinions. But this shouldn’t divide us as Christian sisters and brothers in this world. The Holy Spirit came among us so that we may understand and see each other with Christ’s love, despite all differences. What a wonderful gift. Let us treasure it and not waste it, so our community may grow, live and thrive. Amen.
Is there someone you need to listen to more carefully? How might greater understanding strengthen your relationships?
Pray that Mission EineWelt will be continually guided by the Holy Spirit, so that through Christ they foster unity, understanding and loving fellowship across all cultures and communities.
Dr Gabriele Hoerschelmann is the director of Mission EineWelt in Germany.
The gift of unity
by Renny Khoo
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Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul (Acts 4:32a).
Read Acts 4:32–37
The people gathered in Acts 4 weren’t a naturally uniform or harmonious group. They were ordinary men and women from varied social, cultural and economic backgrounds, drawn together through Jesus Christ and transformed by the Holy Spirit.
Among them were fishermen from Galilee like Peter and John, tax collectors such as Matthew, zealots like Simon the Zealot, widows, families, pilgrims from many regions and wealthy landowners who possessed houses or fields. Acts 2 also tells us that Jews from across the Roman world, speaking different languages and shaped by different cultures, were present in Jerusalem during Pentecost. Many of the natural barriers that normally divide people were still present. Yet something deeper had happened among them. They had encountered the crucified and risen Christ.
The disciples themselves had previously struggled with rivalry, fear, misunderstanding and self-interest. Before the resurrection, they argued about who was greatest. At Jesus’ arrest, many fled in fear. Peter denied even knowing Jesus. The unity described in Acts was, therefore, not evidence of unusually virtuous people finally getting along. It resulted from God’s gracious work among broken people.
Several things reshaped and reoriented them.
Firstly, they were gathered by a shared dependence on Christ. They knew they had received mercy, forgiveness and new life not because they deserved it, but because of God’s grace. Standing together at the foot of the cross humbled them all equally.
Secondly, they were formed through waiting and prayer. After Jesus’ ascension, the believers gathered continually in prayer and expectation (Acts 1:14). Their unity was cultivated not through strategy, but through shared attentiveness to God.
Thirdly, the coming of the Holy Spirit gave them a new identity. At Pentecost, the Spirit didn’t erase their differences but created a new community in which those differences no longer defined their primary belonging. They became one body in Christ.
Finally, the resurrection reoriented their understanding of possessions, security and neighbour. If Christ had conquered death and inaugurated God’s kingdom, then material goods no longer needed to be clutched tightly. Their confidence rested in God’s provision and in their shared life together. Generosity became possible because fear began to lose its hold.
This is why Acts describes such remarkable unity. It wasn’t uniformity, nor was it human idealism. It was a Spirit-created fellowship shaped by grace, prayer, resurrection hope and a new understanding of belonging in Christ.
How has God’s grace changed the way you view your possessions, your time and the people around you? What opportunity do you have to share his generosity?
Pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to strengthen the Basel Christian Church of Malaysia congregations in faith, prayer and unity. Pray that through their shared life in Christ, the church would be a powerful witness to God’s grace and a source of hope and encouragement to the communities they serve.
Pastor Renny Khoo is the dean of Basel Christian Church of Malaysia.
One in Christ
The devotions for this week are featured in LCA International Mission’s 2026 ‘Pentecost Devotional and Prayer Guide’ and are written by mission partners from around the world. LCA International Mission invites you to pray during Pentecost for the connections and ministries of our international partners. An electronic copy of the full devotional is available to download at the LCA International Mission website. Please email lcaim@lca.org.au or phone 08 8267 7317 to request a printed copy. by Touch KeovsreyLiak
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There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).
Read Galatians 3:19–28
In Cambodian society, people are often identified by their family background, occupation, education level or economic status. These factors can easily become the basis for how people value themselves and others, creating barriers and divisions between individuals and communities. Some may feel important because of their position or achievements, while others may feel insignificant or unworthy of the same respect and dignity.
Yet in Galatians 3:28, the Apostle Paul boldly declares: ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’
This doesn’t mean that our differences disappear. God created each person with unique gifts, cultures, languages, personalities and experiences. Diversity is part of God’s good creation. However, these differences no longer determine our ultimate identity or worth. Our most important identity is that we’re children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Within the church, we encounter people from many different backgrounds. Some are wealthy, while others struggle financially. Some have received higher education, while others have had limited opportunities. Some are young, and others are old. Yet when we stand before the cross, we all share the same need for God’s grace, and we all receive the same gift of salvation through Christ.
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples as they were gathered together in one place. They were different people with different stories and personalities, yet they were united by the same Lord. The Holy Spirit continues this work today, gathering people from every nation, culture and social background into one family of God.
As Christians in Cambodia, where social distinctions and cultural expectations can sometimes separate people, we’re called to live differently. We’re invited to see one another not through the lens of status, education, ethnicity, or social standing, but through the lens of Christ’s love. In him, we belong to one another because we first belong to him.
Let us, therefore, live in the gift of this unity. May we not allow our differences to become walls that divide us, but opportunities to reflect the richness of God’s kingdom. Our unity isn’t founded on being alike; it’s founded on our shared belonging to Jesus Christ, who has made us one through faith.
Which differences between people do you find hardest to look beyond? How does your shared identity in Christ shape your view of others?
Pray that God will strengthen the unity of the Lutheran Church in Cambodia, helping believers to welcome and value one another as members of one family in Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to break down barriers of social status, education, ethnicity, age and economic position, and to help the church be a living witness to God’s love, grace and acceptance.
Rev Touch KeovsreyLiak is the bishop of the Lutheran Church in Cambodia.
Going first
by Sivin Kit
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First be reconciled to your brother or sister (Matthew 5:24b).
Read Matthew 5:21–26
The room went silent. A participant had openly challenged a presenter. In my Malaysian–Chinese world, public criticism and embarrassment cut deep, especially when the critic holds more power. My instinct was to let it fade, but this would signal the behaviour was acceptable. I didn’t voice it then, but later, I found the courage to reach out. We sat down, and I said, ‘Your outburst wasn’t right.’ The conversation between us was uncomfortable. But paradoxically necessary. And liberating.
The pull to avoid conflict is real. True peace can’t ignore it. In Matthew 5, Jesus unpacks how conflict begins. It doesn’t jump straight to murder. The battle brews within us: anger hidden in our hearts, the dismissive insult, then the word that cuts through: ‘You fool.’ Long before anyone raises a fist, walls go up one thought at a time.
After the damage is done, who must go first? Not the person who was hurt, but the one who caused the offence. And yet I wrestled with this: if the offender never goes, the burden falls on the one wounded. But here I was in a third position. I chose to comfort the offended first, then speak to the offender. Peacemaking is picking up broken pieces and making a mosaic.
At the recent council meeting of the Lutheran World Federation, a global communion of churches from over 99 countries, we began morning prayer by facing one another and saying: ‘Forgive me, a sinner.’ The reply came, sometimes with a sign of the cross: ‘God forgives.’ Then together, each in our own language, we prayed the Lord’s Prayer, the words ‘forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us’ rising in many tongues at once. Different languages, drawn together by the same Spirit who fell on the disciples gathered in prayer at Pentecost.
Many are hungry for reconciliation. In Malaysia, Malay–Muslim friends greet one another at their festivals with ‘Maaf, Zahir Batin’, which means ‘Forgive me, inside and out’. As Christians, we share that hunger but stand on this ground: we forgive because God has first forgiven us.
So who is going first? Perhaps you’re the one who must initiate. Perhaps you’re called to name how you’ve been hurt, or you find yourself in between. In the end, the offender did reach out. There was an apology. Forgiveness. Some healing. I don’t know if there was full reconciliation. But at least there was movement in the right direction.
Blessed are the peacemakers. Not because it’s easy. But because when we go first, what was ugly can turn into something new and even something beautiful.
Is there someone with whom you need to seek peace? What step might God be calling you to take toward reconciliation?
Pray for God to give the Lutheran World Federation leaders and members the courage to address conflicts honestly, the grace to seek reconciliation and the wisdom to be peacemakers in a divided world. Pray that, across languages, cultures and nations, the global Lutheran communion will bear witness to the reconciling love of Christ and reflect the unity created by the Holy Spirit.
Rev Dr Sivin Kit is the director for Theology, Mission and Justice for The Lutheran World Federation.