In Acts 10 we read about the Holy Spirit sending Peter to a Roman army officer name Cornelius. Cornelius represents so much pain and hurt and suffering that Peter and his family had experienced. Since he was born Peter had been taught to fear people in the position of Cornelius. But Peter goes to the house of Cornelius because God told him to…but Peter had never been to a Gentiles house before. He really never even went to that part of town. The gentiles were just too different. Peter wouldn’t even know where to start or what to say. But embracing the mess means moving beyond what’s easy, known, and comfortable. And the result is that they have this powerful spiritual experience. Everyone is baptized and the Holy Spirit is poured out on Gentiles. Going forward both the Jews and Gentiles both had to sacrifice personal preferences and comforts that became a barrier to others. They began to recognize that what united them was so much more significant than what had divided them, and they became more committed to embracing the mess, so that the message could go further.
