Uncomfortable S2 - Day 16

We have many examples of diversity within the stories and characters of the Old and New Testaments. As it has always been, the world then was multi-ethnic, and the biblical characters reflected that.

While many of the characters in scripture are Semitic (and thus looked like modern-day inhabitants of that geography), the story often includes individuals or groups from a wide variety of ethnicities. Abraham was from Mesopotamia, and ethnically was probably Aramean/Amorite. He and his family migrated to Canaan, where two of his descendants (Judah and Simeon) married Canaanites, while their brother Joseph married an Egyptian.

Later, when God delivered Abraham’s lineage from Egypt, a “Mixed multitude” went with them as they left Egypt. (Ex. 12:38). This implies that people from other ethnic groups accompanied them and thus became part of Israel. Indeed, throughout the Old Testament, there is a frequent influx of persons from other ethnicities into the people of God, including Rahab the Canaanite (Joshua 2-6), the Cushite wife of Moses (Numbers 12), Ebedmelech the Cushite (Jeremiah 38-39), and so on.

This gives us a clear understanding that Israel was a place where many different ethnicities would gather, as it was the crossroads of the ancient Middle East, and that those of differing origins were seen as valuable, acceptable, and needed.

This is true today. Nothing has changed.

What I love about Crosswalk Churches is that they are not homogenous. They are full of people who look different than one another, who speak different languages, who want to grow together, and who can do that in a better fashion due to their diversity. We must learn to listen, to share, and to recognize that while our experiences of life are different, we have something that brings us together in a powerful way:

We are all children of God. And when we walk into the worship centers of each Crosswalk church, we are the same. First and foremost, we are finding out identity and our citizenship coming from the God who loves us. It is pretty simple. If we believe that God comes first, then that is where our value comes from. Our image is the image of God, and our worth comes from that same love.

So why are we so divided?

Have you ever heard the phrase, “leave it on the court?” When I used to play basketball, my coach would always say leave whatever happened in the game on the court. Maybe we should be learn to leave all other identities outside of the church and be willing to be a different kind of person when we step into the worship center.

And then, just maybe. . .

That person who finds value in the image of God, in the unity we have as children of God, will begin to bring that identity out into the world rather than bring all their other identities into the church. This is not to diminish who we are but to recognize who Jesus wants us to be. Sitting at his feet transforms us into the church, the people, and the person God wants us to be.

JOURNAL

1. Who are you when you walk into church?
2. How can we shed any identity not given to us in Christ?
3. What does being made in the image of God mean to you, and how does it play out when dealing with others who might not be exactly like you?