So, my question for us this day is this: how can we resist the urge to “go back to the way things were” and instead position ourselves to become something new, renewing our focus on the basics of what it means to be a Christian community.
You see, this thing we call discipleship is a wild and precious journey. It takes us from what we are used to and transports us to unfamiliar places where we find a familiar grace. Sure, I had never been to Macedonia or Philippi. However, I sure did recognize the hospitality that was shown us by Lydia and her family. It was the hospitality that was first shown to me when I was on the road to Damascus and I was struck blind and had to be led back home and cared for for several days. I’ve received that hospitality. And I believe it is my duty to reciprocate it.
By the year 2044, white non-Hispanics will be a minority in this country. Will those who are soon to no longer be the majority treat this with curiosity and welcome or fear and anger?