Celebrate our Unity, Savor Our Diversity

Celebrate our Unity, Savor Our Diversity

Good afternoon all.  I hope everyone had a great weekend. Some weekends are very relaxing, some are very busy and starting a new week is a relief!  Either way, the weekends give us a different routine to break up our weeks.  I had not thought about this before, but we need to always need to seek out ways to change our routines.   Getting stuck in the same rut, the same schedule every day, the same conversations, we will never grow.  We should be growing; we should allow God to make us better each day than we were the day before.  We can become smarter, more compassionate, more helpful to others.  A weekend can give us a new perspective, a new routine in our lives.  How can we find a new perspective on our faith, our spirituality, our presence when we show up for others?  I propose the scripture below Romans 12: 3-5.  We should seek out conversations with those around us that have a different background, a different race, and different culture, a different gender.  We can learn so much from those that are different from us.  We can grow in our faith by listening to others, seeking new perspectives with curiosity and love.

Thank God that, like parts of the human body, we’re not all the same. Be open to learn from others, regardless of their age, background, experience, or tenure with our church. We make better decisions and grow as people when we consider multiple perspectives. Listen with curiosity to others and consider how to use their ideas.

“Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.” (Romans 12: 3 – 5)

“Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. (Ephesians 4: 3 – 4)

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in harmony!” (Psalm 133: 4)

Ideas for Action: Seek out someone from a different background, culture or race and meet three or four times to get to know their lives and stories. Pray with them for racial and social healing.