Multi-Culturalism

Tonight Cheri and I are speaking at the Assyrian (yes, that is Assyrian, a people who have been without a country for over 2,600 years!) young people's group. Almost all of those in this group were born in Iran and have been in the US for between two and ten years. They are a part of a congregation that is being sponsored by our church, along with an Armenian-Iranian one and the temporary merger with a multi-ethnic one to help them prepare for planting a new church in a year or two. In addition we work closely with a Spanish speaking church that meets on our site. Add it all up, and you begin to see the multi-cultural aspect of our church. Nor is this the first time I have spoken for one of these groups. Cheri and I led an entire weekend retreat with the Assyrian congregation and I have also spoken for the other groups. What has impressed me is the nature of what we call multi-culturalism. That there are differences from one culture to another is quite clear. But what strikes me even more is the similarities I have observed not only with the groups I mentioned above, but also what I observed when in Romania. Notice that this represents cultures in the Middle East, Europe, South America and North America. In addition I have had the privilege of working with a Korean church for years, adding the continent of Asia to the mix. And in every case I have found that our similarities so outweigh our differences that communication is almost easy. Of course, it requires humility on my part and the willingness to listen more than speak. But, when all is said and done, we find that communication is not only possible, but that it is almost impossible to not communicate. And that is the way it should be. After all, God started with a small group of middle-easterners to spread the good news of His love in Jesus Christ, and that enterprise has been going on for quite some time now. Perhaps most interestingly, it has gone on in spite of translating the Bible into virtually every language - something that Muslims do not believe to be even possible. That is why they insist that God's Word (for them the Koran) is only God's Word when it is in Arabic. How great to know that God - and we - can communicate effectively no matter what our language. All that is required is a willing heart and a humble spirit. Let's celebrate our various cultures not just by noting our differences, but also celebrating our similarities! And let's continue to share the good news of God's love in Jesus Christ in every language!

Pastor Ken