“In him we live and move and have our being, for we too are his offspring” (Acts 17:28). This powerful statement is a great source of joy to those who believe. It is in this knowledge in faith that we can claim our truest purpose and meaning as children of God.

As Christians we believe that God created all that is visible and invisible, that what he created is good. We believe that he created us in a special, intimate, and personal way, giving us life, infinite dignity, and a calling. We know that he filled the universe with wonders and called into being life of every kind. But most importantly, we know that he made us in his very own image and likeness. He is the Author of being, the Creator of all that is good, true, and beautiful. And supreme above all of this we know that he is Love. Yes, Love is the source and the goal of our faith. We were made in Love and our natural destiny is to be reunited in that Love forever.

God, who made all of this out of love, we are told, “Does not live in sanctuaries made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything. Rather, it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything” (verse 24-25). The next verse is very important for us to pay attention to as well. “He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth…” (verse 26). The human race is ONE. There is no distinction here, no division. That was, is, and will always be God’s intention. All the divisions we have made between us for whatever reason, that is divisions in society and in the Church, are not of God. Our divisions are the products of our sinfulness, not of the nature we were made in by God. When we rationalize divisions of any kind we are not thinking as God thinks, but as the world thinks. And the ruler of the world has made himself the enemy of God.

All that we think, say, and do as Christians is to be of God. He made us, as Luke tells us here in Acts, “So that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us” (verse 27). We are all in this seeking and groping together. We are to love one another as he loved us, to help one another in this communal effort to seek him. We can take comfort in the fact that he is nearer to us than we often think. If we start to live intentionally, as if we really believe that it is in him that we, “live, move, and have our being,” and that we are, in fact, brothers and sisters, members of one race, the human race, all of us made in the same image and likeness of God, then we will be his true offspring, his true children, and all that has been caused by our sinful divisions would disappear in the abundant outpouring of God’s grace. Indeed, his kingdom would come and his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. What a glorious calling he has given to us! What infinite grace he offers to those who choose to follow in his way!

Lord, We believe that you are the Father of the human race, in whom we all live, move, and have our being. Give us the courage to break down the walls of division that we have created among ourselves, especially in the Church. Fill our hearts with an ever-deepening desire to find union with you by seeking and fostering union with our brothers and sisters in faith, and beyond. We pray in your name, Jesus. Amen!

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