No room for racism

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Galatians 3:21-29

“TO CHEW ON: For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus….There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26,28

Canada is a multicultural country. We welcome thousands of immigrants each year. Most are not white Caucasians but of other ethnic and racial backgrounds. The result is cities which have ghetto-like enclaves where these people settle and from which they continue to spread to the surrounding neighborhoods.

For over 20 years we lived in Surrey, BC, on the fringe of a vibrant East Indian community. Over the time we lived there many things changed. Shortly before we moved away it wasn’t uncommon when visiting the local grocery store to feel like the minority race. The local park went from being deserted during the day to packed with their elders as they played all-day card games at the picnic tables. Many an evening the smells of curry wafted into our bedroom as we prepared for bed (they customarily ate their evening meal late).

It’s easy to let racial and cultural differences bother us. But in the scheme of things that are important, these variations should be minor to non-existent. “You are all one in Christ,” Paul reminds the Galatians church. Once people have accepted Christ, there is more that brings us together than separates us no matter what our races. Jesus died for everyone of every race, so we can look on our increasingly mixed race population as the mission field coming to us.

Race isn’t the only thing that divides us. Other “nonessentials” that can cause barriers are a commitment to a particular leader, customs we follow in our particular church or denomination, social differences, education (or lack of it), social position, financial status, political beliefs etc.

Lloyd John Ogilvie, former Chaplain of the U.S. Senate says, “When we ‘major in minors’ we end up separated from people who do not look or act or talk like we do. The only way to overcome this is to be sure Christ is first and foremost in our lives and to set aside the secondary things that have little ultimate value.” – “Kingdom Dynamics” New Spirit Filled Life Bible – p. 1635.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to recognize the bigotry within myself. Help me to see others as You see them.

MORE: Someday we will join with believers of every nation, tribe and language before the throne of God. If ever there is a reason for unity here on earth, this is it:

"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” - Revelation 7:9-10