Have you tried Thai food? After a few months of living in Thailand, I’m convinced that their food is out of this world (or at least out of this country). Thai food tries to hit nearly every part of your tongue. Each dish is sweet, sour, salty, creamy, and SPICY. And the secret to a great Thai dish is the right balance of all the flavors. So much more interesting to the taste buds than a burger, in my humble palate’s opinion.
But, unfortunately, when it comes to community, my meal of choice often ends up looking more like a Quarter Pounder than a huge plate of Drunken Noodle. Left to my own devices and the sweeping tides of social life, it’s easy to surround myself with people just like me. People in my same life stage, people of my same ethnicity, people in my same socioeconomic class, people with the same hairdo…you get my drift. And the ‘ditto’ can go further-people that laugh at the same jokes, listen to the same music, and see life the way I do.
In the last ten years, I’ve had seasons of both community meal choices. Times when I was doing nothing but swimming in plain old ground beef and times when the flavors of community were so intense, I often had to lay down my chopsticks and take a breather.
It’s hard work to build a community with people that aren’t like you. They most likely don’t live in your neighborhood, shop where you do, or play in the same spaces. Further, they may not talk like you, look like you or dress like you. So, when you’re with them, things might just feel a little strange.
Disclaimer…I’m currently in a state where I’m doing more hamburger runs than wild Asian food, if you catch my drift. But, I’m discontent in this place. In fact, I’ve set a goal for this year to build at least one real relationship with someone that’s not like me. Seems hard to do and I’m not sure where to start.
I guess I’ll start by thinking about Jesus. When He called his disciples, He gathered some fishermen, a tax collector, and a religious zealot to all follow Him, together, as ONE community. And, by the end, a thief, a soldier, a wealthy man, and a group of women were all on His team. Though a lot of people hated Him, the individuals that were drawn to Him were sometimes as different as sweet and sour.
And this diversity of Jesus followers continues today and forever. When John sees heaven, he sees the most diverse meeting of individuals you’ve ever thought possible. This meeting has the United Nations beat–hands down. This group includes someone from everywhere. But, this is no Tower of Babel story. These very different individuals are all running in the same direction —towards JESUS. In Let the Nations be Glad, John Piper notes the way diversity glorifies God-’The fame and greatness and worth of an object of beauty increases in proportion to the diversity of those who recognize its beauty.’ I.e. When a lot of different people agree that ONE thing is beautiful, that ONE thing must really be beautiful.
So, working hard to make community taste a bit more like Thai food is not just about social interest or upholding the cultural diversity that everyone’s talking about these days. It’s that, but more. It’s about sharing Jesus from my point of view through everyday life. And, learning about Jesus from another point of view. And doing the hard work of meeting, loving, and living with different people…in preparation for the day when innumerable different people from innumerable different places speaking innumerable languages will join and worship Jesus WITH ONE VOICE.
There will be more posts in the days ahead in the Mission category that will address this topic. So, in the meantime, let’s reflect on the diversity of heaven and the way Jesus is attractive to people of all types and stripes. And, join me in asking God to help us, even if we’ve got a pretty good dish of community flavor cooking, to stretch ourselves even more in loving people who aren’t like us. Oh yeah, and go get some yummy Thai food.
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