Seeing Disabilities Through God's Eyes: A 5-Day Devotional With Sandra Peoplesഉദാഹരണം

God's place for disability in the church family

According to the census taken in 2000, nearly 1 in 5 families in the U.S. has a member with a disability. If our churches reflect our communities, we should see that same number present in our pews. But most of us aren't seeing this 20% of the population represented. They are missing from our children's ministry classrooms, our youth group activities, and our adult small groups. But in Luke 14, Jesus made it clear where they would be represented when he shared the parable of the great banquet: “So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room’" (Luke 14:21-22, ESV).

Jesus used this parable to teach his audience what the Kingdom of God will look like. In Luke 14, he was eating at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees (v. 1). In response to noticing how they chose places of honor at this dinner (v. 7), he told the parable of the wedding feast and the parable of the great banquet. These parables would have taught the Pharisees how the Kingdom of God would not meet their expectations. First Jesus said, “For everyone who exalts themselves will be humbled” (v. 11), and then he gave them a picture of what heaven will look like that includes "the poor and crippled and blind and lame” (v. 21).

Today, we can look around our churches to see who may be missing, just like the master saw who was missing from his banquet. Michael Beates asks in his book, Disability and the Gospel, “Do these kinds of people today feel welcome at God's banquet in the church? Too often, sadly they do not. Too often, merely coming to church is too much of a burden. People encounter both physical and social obstacles. And how many churches intentionally go about the business of seeking such people and using the church's manpower to go and bring them in? Again, too often, the church does not” (page 54). But we can learn from Jesus just as his audience at the time did.

Maybe you look at your church and think, There isn't room here for kids with extra needs. Maybe you're already low on space, low on volunteers, and low on money, and the idea of this kind of new ministry feels intimidating because of all the unknowns. Thankfully, Jesus already addressed that concern. Because the servant told the master, “Sir, what you have commanded has been done, and still there is room,” we can trust that when we invite people with disabilities into our churches and into fellowship with us, it does not take away from those who are already present. We cannot turn away 20% of our population who need the hope of the gospel.

Application question: Are people with disabilities being evangelized, discipled, and serving with their gifts in your church? If not, what are some barriers that are keeping that from happening? Pray and take action to help your church become more accessible.