Genesis 2:7 then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.
Genesis 25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-- and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Galatians 3:28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
Greta and I returned late last night from a trip. Our excuse for the excursion was to visit our grandson who is currently studying in London. We went with our son and daughter-in-law. Of course, since we were already so far from home, it seemed irresponsible not to take the train to Paris. Since we went that far, it also seemed unconscionable not to visit the favorite vacation spot of Greta’s parents, Bergenstock, Switzerland. We had a wonderful time in all three cities.
I am concerned, however, that this time and our last sojourn abroad, I returned home ill. Thankfully, this time it is only (??) a cold. Last time it was something equally trivial (???). I cannot help but wonder whether or not God is trying to tell me something.
My first thought this morning was about something I noticed on our previous trip to Europe. It is a thought I also often had as I worked as an engineer in a very global industry. It is very easy as we go about our daily lives to become so immersed in our own culture that we forget the wider world around us. Even here in the U.S.A., a nation comprised of immigrants from every other nation around the globe, we become so steeped in our Americanism, we forget that not everyone speaks English, at least our American dialect of English, not everyone eats the same foods, wears the same clothes, etc.
Homo sapiens developed into familial and ultimately tribal confederations. Our technological advancements in communication and travel have opened up to many of us the existence of other cultures and societies, but we still tend to live and think in more tribal ways. History is built of the flows of families and tribes from one locale to another. As a descendant of Scottish ancestors, I prefer to think of clans rather than tribes; but, that is an example of the sort of tribalism which still endures. Even many of the country names we know today are tribal: England (Angles), France (Franks), Germany (Deusch, the name of Germany in German).
Yet, even our earliest ancestors-in-the-faith understood the universality of humanity. Genesis presents that truth in the Creation Narrative. God created man, אָדָם, adam. We understand that idea today as Adam, but generically that Hebrew word simply meant man. God formed humanity from the dust of the ground, and breathed into humanity’s nostrils the breath of life; and the human became a living being. Every individual human today is a descendant of that first living being. We are all cousins.
On our trip, I saw three separate, distinct cultures and societies different in some ways from our own. What most of us understand as our American culture is an amalgam of those three plus many, many other cultures. All human cultures evolved around the same basic needs for sustenance, shelter, and safety, the 3 S’s. However, geography and climate influenced how those 3 S’s were met. That does not make us all cousins any less.
As a Christian, I know that this idea of our universality was a major theme in Paul’s mission and message. “1 Corinthians 12:13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-- and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” “Galatians 3:28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” “Ephesians 2:14 For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.”
I am reminded of the words of that great hymn In Christ There Is No East or West, “In Christ there is not east or West, In Christ no South or North; But one community of love throughout the whole wide earth.” We are called to the truth of that hymn, to make it so.
My other thought this morning is that if you have not already done so, vote tomorrow. If you do not vote, you get the government you deserve. If you do vote, you have the hope of the government you believe you do deserve. Vote!
Work to break down the barriers of language and culture which separate us, trust God,
Pastor Ray