Relating Together for Tomorrow: Day 6
What rich cross-cultural experiences have you had? Listen for cultural cynicism and snobbery. Squelch it!
by David Joynt on October 07, 2016
Top X July 12, 2025 Devotional
July 12, 2025
Church Challenge: Richer Relationships
Richer relationships require vulnerability and commitment. The diversity of church life is richer but also more difficult. It is easier for “birds of a feather to flock together!” Then understanding is instinctive, references are intuitive, language is common. But differences allow us to reflect on faith from different perspectives and to get outside of our own limited angles of vision.
The native residents of Jerusalem saw the miracle of Pentecost as evidence of darkness—they were cynical about all these visitors and their many languages and cultures. But Peter is quick to challenge them—the differing languages and cultures represented one part of a unified and coherent response to what God is doing in Jesus and through His Spirit. Indeed, they are a sign of the Kingdom’s presence, for with Jesus there begins a new and final reality that cuts across and includes all other loyalties and cultures.
What rich cross-cultural experiences have you had?
Listen for cultural cynicism and snobbery. Squelch it!
Family Focus: Find some words in English that come from other languages. Relate how many different cultures live in your own family tree. Talk about how this is part of the way our life is enriched, as citizens in both an earthly and a heavenly Kingdom.
