And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, to every nation, tribe, language, and people. Rev. 14:6.
Today's text shows God's caring concern for people from every nation, every language group, every ethnic type, and every family lineage. No matter how much they oppose Him, no matter how perverse their behavior may seem, Jesus died for them (Rev. 5:9; 2 Cor. 5:14). He values them in terms of the infinite cost of the cross. God shows a breathtaking lack of prejudice. Multiculturalism is not just a politically correct fad--it is fundamental in God's attitude toward people in all their infinite variety. Revealing no partiality, He care for all peoples.
I grew up in New York City and figured that gave me a head start on appreciating God's great variety. The high school I went to was one-third White, one-third Black, and one-third Hispanic. All of my closest buddies were Hispanic. Once I captained an all-Black basketball team and didn't realize that fact until someone mentioned it halfway through the season. Prejudice, I thought, was a remote problem in my life.
I started college just as the Black Power movement got its start and also witnessed the first Black History Week. After the murder of Martin Luther King I heard all kinds of anger directed toward me that I didn't think I deserved, given my pristine behavior back in high school. Why are these people so angry? I wondered. This is America. We all have equal rights and equal opportunities.
And then I met Greg. Forcefully but patiently he introduced me into the world of African-Americans. Helping me to see the world through his eyes, he told me what it is like to be looked at with suspicion wherever you go. To be stopped by the police on a regular basis, simply because you are Black and driving a nice car. To be ignored in a clothing store while others get lots of help. To face a glass ceiling on the job with certain positions open only to the "right kind of people." And to be unwanted even in some churches simply because of skin color and other differences.
I realized that the world wasn't as simple as the one I though I knew. And in the process I also came to understand that I was learning to see not only through Greg's eyes, but also through God's eyes. He who chose to create human beings in all their variety dwells inside people of every nation, tribe, and language. It is Jesus who died for everyone. How they feel and how they live matters to Him.
Lord, open my eyes to the pain in the lives of others. Help me to look past the differences and see a soul for whom Jesus died. Enable me to stand courageously against injustice whenever I run into it.
Today's text shows God's caring concern for people from every nation, every language group, every ethnic type, and every family lineage. No matter how much they oppose Him, no matter how perverse their behavior may seem, Jesus died for them (Rev. 5:9; 2 Cor. 5:14). He values them in terms of the infinite cost of the cross. God shows a breathtaking lack of prejudice. Multiculturalism is not just a politically correct fad--it is fundamental in God's attitude toward people in all their infinite variety. Revealing no partiality, He care for all peoples.
I grew up in New York City and figured that gave me a head start on appreciating God's great variety. The high school I went to was one-third White, one-third Black, and one-third Hispanic. All of my closest buddies were Hispanic. Once I captained an all-Black basketball team and didn't realize that fact until someone mentioned it halfway through the season. Prejudice, I thought, was a remote problem in my life.
I started college just as the Black Power movement got its start and also witnessed the first Black History Week. After the murder of Martin Luther King I heard all kinds of anger directed toward me that I didn't think I deserved, given my pristine behavior back in high school. Why are these people so angry? I wondered. This is America. We all have equal rights and equal opportunities.
And then I met Greg. Forcefully but patiently he introduced me into the world of African-Americans. Helping me to see the world through his eyes, he told me what it is like to be looked at with suspicion wherever you go. To be stopped by the police on a regular basis, simply because you are Black and driving a nice car. To be ignored in a clothing store while others get lots of help. To face a glass ceiling on the job with certain positions open only to the "right kind of people." And to be unwanted even in some churches simply because of skin color and other differences.
I realized that the world wasn't as simple as the one I though I knew. And in the process I also came to understand that I was learning to see not only through Greg's eyes, but also through God's eyes. He who chose to create human beings in all their variety dwells inside people of every nation, tribe, and language. It is Jesus who died for everyone. How they feel and how they live matters to Him.
Lord, open my eyes to the pain in the lives of others. Help me to look past the differences and see a soul for whom Jesus died. Enable me to stand courageously against injustice whenever I run into it.
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