Cultural Bubbles and Mission

I was preaching last week and pointed out that Western culture is obsessed with two things:

1. Personal safety and security

2. Living in homogenous cultural bubbles

The problem with this is that mission is impossible while having these two obsessions.

     If we want to be with people who are the same skin color, the same socio-economic status, with the same faith practices, the same political persuasions we will only perpetuate that sub-culture. "Like attracts like." This creates comfort - another thing that Westerners crave.

     The Kingdom of God that Jesus preached seems to me to be incredibly UNcomfortable in many ways - we welcome the stranger, we build relationships with people very different than ourselves, the most powerful will end up least powerful, if we really want to be safe and secure we will lay down our lives for another person.

     Every day I wake up with a dizzying "need" to be safe, secure, and to be with people like myself. Every person does this. The difference for the Christian is that Jesus does not call us to such safety, security, and "like attracts like" living. He calls us to Kingdom living with all its wonderful diversity.