“In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you.” (Col.3:11-13)
Dear Jesus, it would have taken a lot of grace for me to do well in the cosmopolitan, multi-people-group, culturally-kaleidoscopic church in Colossae. Paul describes a diversity in that young church which fits my theology but challenges and stretches my comfort zone and heart capacity.
Jews and Gentiles… okay, I get that. But sharing the same worship space, small group, and life with converted “barbaric and uncivilized” people, slaves and slave owners, new-in-Christ political zealots and tax collectors, liberal Sadducees and hyper-conservative Pharisees? They all came to love you but still saw so many things quite differently.
Though they all were saved by you, they didn’t all of the suddenly become like you—anymore that I/we have. And it’s not like all that diversity got squeezed into a cookie-cutter-mold ideology of just one of those groups. That would be like “Stepford Wives” spirituality—boring and disgusting indeed.
Jesus, you welcome those of whom we remain suspicious, don’t necessarily want to vacation with, and might not want to be among after dark. What does “faith expressing itself in love” require of us as our communities and backyards are looking more like Rome and Colossae?
As those who love you, how can we be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace without demanding uniformity in non-essentials? Show us Jesus. The world is watching, and though we don’t crave/need their approval, we do want to demonstrate your multi-dimensional love to them. So Very Amen.