A few weeks ago, I mentioned something about spicy food in a children’s message. I recalled a fifth grade trip to South Texas when I ate my first jalapeño, that not only heated up my mouth, but blew my mind. In a single nibble of that delightful, green pod, I caught a glimpse of an expansive world beyond my own. Back in my little corner of Summit County, OH, the only ethnic restaurant was Italian.
Not long after I mentioned my love of hot sauce, Leah showed up with a box of the firey bottles. Her brother, who recently died, was also a fan of the cayenne. Not sure what to do with to do with the dozens of hot sauces and rubs he collected, she bequeathed them to me. Some were old friends, while others were unfamiliar traveling companions. What a delicious gift of heat and flavor.
As I glanced at the box, I couldn’t help but think about the biblical images of God’s children as various parts of one body. You may remember the powerful words from 1 Corinthians 12:12-14: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 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. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.”
Just because we are all part of the body of Christ, doesn’t mean that our collaborations and interactions come naturally. New people and experiences can be intimidating. Diversity can be frightening. But God invites us to see them as gift and necessity. This isn’t only a matter of taste and preference – We need each other!
Looking for a challenge this summer? Expand your palate. Shop at an international grocery store. Settle into a meal at an independent ethnic restaurant. Attend a cultural street festival or event in a neighborhood beyond your own. Share in conversation with someone whose first language isn’t English. Ask God to open your heart and mind to experience the variety of God’s good creation. You can’t imagine how you’ll be blessed.
In Hope,
Pastor Lowell