Acts 11:1-18. The apostles and disciples in Judea have received word of Peter's visits to Cornelius and that the Gentiles have received the Word of God. When Peter returns to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticizes him, asking why he went to uncircumcised men and ate with them. Peter responds by telling the whole story, starting with his vision about being told to eat any of the animals of the earth because God has cleansed them all. Immediately after that vision, he says, the men from Cornelius arrived and the Holy Spirit told Peter to go with them. When he arrived he heard of Cornelius' angelic visitor and message to send for Peter. Then, when Peter was speaking to them, "the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning." And Peter remembered the words of Christ - that John would baptize with water, but they would also be baptized with the Holy Spirit. So, he says, "If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?" When the criticizing disciples hear this, they are silenced, and they glorify God saying "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life."

It's so human that there were already divisions in this Church that is a few weeks or months old at most! The "circumcision party" does not want to send invites to anyone who is uncircumcised, so they criticize Peter for going to the Gentiles. But Peter now has the full story and sees what God was doing. He tells the disciples everything, putting all the pieces together as only he could do, because only he experienced it all. With the two visions, that of Peter and that of Cornelius; the Holy Spirit's direction to Peter; and then the Holy Spirit coming down upon the Gentiles, it is inarguably clear that God intended to bring the Gentiles into His Church. Not only that, but God obviously wanted to make it very clear to the disciples that the Gentiles are to be welcomed and accepted in the Church, since He went to great lengths - sending visions, angels, and direct messages - to make it clear that this was His will, and not Peter's idea.

Finally, kudos to the "circumcision party" for acknowledging they were wrong and for celebrating God's inclusivity. They may have been outraged at first, but they listened to Peter with open minds and hearts, and believed him, even though it meant accepting people they believed unacceptable. I wish we had more of that kind of behavior today in our divided Church and world!