If you have been with us in our series on the book of Philippians then you know that one of the key themes is unity.
We’ve seen:
It’s a challenge to stay unified when you’re facing outside pressure.
It’s a challenge to stay unified when you’re facing inside tensions.
Whenever I preach I always pray and ask God that his truth would penetrate our hearts and that anything that is just Andrew, would quickly be forgotten. After my sermon last Sunday I was reflecting on one line that I spoke where I was giving examples of things that we sometimes hold onto in a way that can be prideful and divisive. I said, He [Jesus] doesn’t care about the quality of the car you drive or the way you dress. He doesn’t give a rip about your country of origin or the political party you vote for.
I remember a segment on Sesame Street from when I was a kid called ‘One of these things is not like the other.’ They would often show four things and one clearly didn’t belong. In this case, I wish I wouldn’t have included country of origin in my list of examples.
My point in that statement was to get us to think about things that divide us and just as Christ did, to humbly lay aside anything we might cling to that would keep us from serving one another. But let me be clear, Jesus does care about your country of origin. He cares about it so much that he includes it in the image of what heaven will be like.
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
- Revelation 7:9
This is one of my favorite images of heavenly worship. It’s also why I love our church family so much, because we have people from multiple countries and language groups. That means that every Sunday when we worship, we get a little taste of heaven.
So yes, your country of origin should never be held up in a prideful way or as an excuse to not love someone else. But yes, Jesus does care about it! Who you are and where you were born matter to him. He knows your language, loves your food, and something of God is imprinted into the culture you were born into.
I’m so grateful for the diverse church family we have and I’m grateful for you. So thank you! Whether you’re from Washington, Kenya, Texas, or Vietnam, thank you for bringing with you something beautiful and beneficial for our entire family And thank you for being gracious when your pastor says something that is out of place.
By His Grace,
Pastor Andrew