4th June 2017 - Diversity - Simon Benham

Simon Benham

4th June 2017

Diversity

We started with a colour-blindness test on-screen, and a range of answers; some passed, some failed! But the real question is, “Is God colour-blind?”

We know God is a diverse God in His own character (Gen 1:26 “Let us make mankind in our image …”), and in the way he created us (Gen 1:27 “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”).

Diversity was present through gender, then later in nations; and today we would recognise diversity in many other ways; skin colour, culture, personality, age, education, and wealth amongst others.

Today is Pentecost, and the story of Pentecost is in many ways a statement on diversity:

“‘In the last days, God says,

    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

    your young men will see visions,

    your old men will dream dreams.

Even on my servants, both men and women,

    I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

    and they will prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18)

We see that God pours outs his gifts on all, and loves all; grace is available for all. 

Yet God is also sensitive to the differences between us. Looking just a few verses earlier, we have:

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” (Acts 2:4-11)

God could have enabled each person present to hear the message in one common language, but instead He chose that each should hear in their own language. God aims for unity, but not uniformity, and so we too should celebrate the diversity amongst us.

At the end of the Bible there is another great statement on diversity:

 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. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,

who sits on the throne,

and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9-10)

Every nation, every tribe – together in their diversity.

 <Sarah Harvey and Sola joined Simon at the front in a question and answer session>

Q1. What stops you celebrating diversity?

Sarah  I was uncomfortable when I was first at Kerith – I didn’t know who I was, and didn’t want to step out of my ‘safe box’, because I was afraid of what others would think.  It took time to learn that Kerith just wanted me to be myself.

Sola – you’d think it would be colour, clothes, or background – but I agree with Sarah – it’s mostly ‘me’.  Learn to accept your own uniqueness, don’t measure against others.

Q2. How do we make the most of this?

Sarah – We can see all the differences in the crowd of Acts 2 – and the result was that 3000 were added to the church that day. More diversity makes us more effective as a people; in evangelising, and in community – a richer ministry.

Sola – 1 Cor 14:10 speaks of “many languages, none without meaning”.  From that I understand that our differences mean that people can be drawn to us because no matter who comes to Kerith, there will be common experiences they share with someone, which helps connections to be made.

Q3. What do you think we should do more of?

Sola – As we’ve just said, we need you [looking at the congregation]. The world is looking for what we have in the church, it just needs each one of us to show up as ‘us’ – in Christ.

Sarah – Identity a powerful part of diversity – you can’t show up if you don’t know what to show up as.

Q4. What encouragement can you give to those here?

Simon – Just show up as you are, without masks.  It may be hard in the mass of Sunday congregation, but small groups offer that chance to be ‘you’ and to accepted as yourself.

Sola – I would encourage us to look for connections beyond colour, beyond rich and poor, beyond ‘people like us’.  In one of his books Bill Hybels encourages us to ‘walk across the room’.

Rather than questions, todays preach leaves us with a challenge – quite simply, to put Bill Hybel’s encouragement into practice. 

Over the week, find opportunities to “walk across the room” and speak to a stranger within the Kerith community – and when you speak, discover a few things you have in common, and make time to pray for each other.