As major league baseball teams head into the postseason, they are struggling with how to trim down to the 25-man roster. Only the best will play.

God’s approach is the opposite. When it comes to “God’s team,” the roster is expanded to potentially include everyone; and everyone on God’s team is first string! This is a major theme in the New Testament – everyone in the church is a “priest” of God, everyone is called to serve God with the particular gifts that each has, and everyone can share in God’s work of bringing wholeness and peace to our trouble world.

As the apostle Peter said, “Come to Christ, a living stone . . . and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. . . . For you are a royal priesthood, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (I Peter 2:4-5,9)

Sunday’s Scripture Readings:
Hebrews 4:14–16
I Timothy 2:5–6
I Peter 2:4–5, 9

About the Author

Dr. David A. Palmer has been the senior pastor at the United Methodist Church of Kent since 1995. He has a B.A. from Wittenberg University, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. A native of Wooster, Ohio, he has served three other churches in east Ohio before coming to Kent. He and his wife, Mavis, have three children.