By Kerstin Jeske of Oslo, Norway

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” It is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Today is Pentecost and my mind goes back to when I was a child and we had our national church conference either on Easter or Pentecost. Both of those were very special times! People would come from all over the country and were assigned to stay with different people in my hometown where we had the largest congregation and the conference would be held. Almost 50 years ago, a family was assigned to stay with us. We all became very close and they became our guests from then on. Every year, I would impatiently ask, “When are they coming?”

In my home congregation, most people were related. That experience with our guests was the first time I felt really a part of a large church family. Later I experienced the same when we had our family camps, and people brought and shared whatever they had for a communal experience. We were all children of God and managed to act like brothers and sisters—with usual quarrels and with sharing and caring.

This principle of “one big family” was also portrayed to me so very well at a British Isles Reunion I attended. I remember my first visit there, and I could not figure out which children belonged to whom. Everybody took care of them in the same gentle spirit as well as correcting them when they did something wrong. Whenever I saw an adult giving special attention to a child, I thought I had figured it out. Then I saw the same thing happening the next day by a completely different adult. I was truly confused, but so amazed and in awe! I have never forgotten this experience!

Isn’t it wonderful we can share this message of being one family—a family of God? We are all children of God, all equal without being the same; taking care of each other, led by the Spirit, feeling adopted—not only by each other, but by God! There is nothing to be afraid of!

Prayer Phrase

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20).

The International Community

Find (or imagine) a globe or map of the world. Look at all the nations and find a country other than your own. Notice the geographic distance between your homeland and this one. Picture a person living there. Pray for this person. Sense God’s love connecting you just as the oceans connect the continents. Thank God for the spiritual connection you have with all of God’s people around the globe. Ask a blessing on the church as a community sharing Christ’s peace, drawing all into the family of God.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.