And the People Said, "Amen and Amen"

I just finished a week-long training in Minneapolis  called Sahara Challenge. There was about 100 people - Arabs, a Persian, African, Caucasians, Koreans ... oh and a Jewish guy.
     On the final night (last night) we laid hands on different cultures and people groups represented. An Arab who is an Israeli citizen prayed in Arabic and English for the group I was in.
     Get the picture? An Arab Israeli citizen praying for a Jewish guy amidst Persians, Africans, Whites, and Asians. Sure looks, smells, sounds, and feels like the Kingdom of God to me!
     Here's the peculiar thing about a gathering such as this: Most of us feel like minorities (maybe outcasts) in a lot of settings. We are either ethnic minorities or hold minority views about how God cares for and loves people. One evening at dinner I was sitting with a Palestinian-American woman, a Tunisian man, a Lebanese (former Shiite), and Arab-Israeli. We all shared a common bond of feeling misunderstood an as a "foreigner" amongst other peoples.
     What I love is that while we could easily feel alienated from one another (after all, our cultures have warred against each other for hundreds and hundreds of years), this week we were united - in Christ. Jesus transcends and cuts through prejudice, he is the great leveler. All of a sudden we recognize that we are all sinners, all broken, all in need of forgiveness.
     And so I stand next to my Arab Egyptian brother and worship God together. It is supernatural, another world, heaven come to earth for a brief moment.