Holy Communion for the Fifth Sunday of Easter: celebrant the Revd Tola Badejo. Junior Church takes place at the same time in the hall.

First reading: Acts 11. 1–18
Gospel: John 13. 31–35

The theme of today's readings is the potentially controversial topic of diversity, equity and inclusion, illustrated in Acts 11 by one of the strangest metaphors in the Bible. There is an argument amongst the disciples about the nature of the church, and Peter has been criticised for meeting with the 'unclean'; those outside the Jewish community. Peter explains his actions by describing a dream: he (and his listeners) had grown up in the Jewish tradition, with strict dietary laws to separate the 'clean' animals that could be eaten from the 'unclean', but in the dream Peter hears a voice telling him to 'kill and eat' animals of all kinds. The violent language conveys the shock of this radical new idea: God is not the God of one specific race, but of everybody.

The detail above is from a painting by Domenico Fetti (c.1589 – 1623; the whole picture is attached below), in which the animals Peter sees invite compassion rather than slaughter (especially the dog, who just seems to want someone to belong to). In effect, the artist has cut from the language of the metaphor to its substance, the point it is there to make. When, in the Gospel, Jesus commands his followers to love one another, he does not limit the instruction to any race, class, culture or level of education.

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