Love and Welcome Build the Church

While getting ready for Sunday's sermon on the love chapter in 1 Corinthians, I ran across Amy-Jill Levine's notes. She suggests something I hadn't thought of before. Paul probably had in mind the incredible image of Gentiles and eunuchs (who ordinarily would be cut off from worship) gathering as part of God's beloved community. The image comes from Isaiah 56. It's a great image of church: outcasts who do justice and love are as welcome, perhaps more so, than anyone else.

The LORD says:
Act justly and do what is righteous,
because my salvation is coming soon,
and my righteousness will be revealed.
Happy is the one who does this,
the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath, not making it impure,
and avoids doing any evil.
Don’t let the immigrant who has joined with the LORD say,
“The LORD will exclude me from the people.”
And don’t let the eunuch say,
“I’m just a dry tree.”
The LORD says:
To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths,
choose what I desire,
and remain loyal to my covenant,
in my temple and courts, I will give them
a monument and a name better than sons and daughters.
I will give to them an enduring name
that won’t be removed.
The immigrants who have joined me,
serving me and loving my name, becoming my servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath without making it impure,
and those who hold fast to my covenant:
I will bring them to my holy mountain,
and bring them joy in my house of prayer.
I will accept their entirely burned offerings and sacrifices on my altar.
My house will be known as a house of prayer for all peoples,
says the LORD God,
who gathers Israel’s outcasts.
I will gather still others to those I have already gathered.