Church: Bringing Different People Together?

The story of Cornelius and Peter in Acts 10-11 is my new favorite Bible story.  Maybe that's because I'm preaching on it for five weeks in a row and see so many ways it relates to life today.  The basic premise is that Peter is going from town to town sharing the Gospel when he and Cornelius have visions.  Cornelius' vision is to send for Peter and listen what he has to say.  Peter's vision is to eat the forbidden animals that appear on a white sheet.  But what's hard for us to really understand is that this devout Jew and devout Gentile weren't supposed to associate with each other.  Not talk to each other.  Not go into each other's houses.  They were as different as different could be in race, economics, religion, profession, and on and on.  Except for one thing.  They both had faith in God.

Seems to me that that's what church and faith and Christianity should be all about: bringing different people together.  People you might normally never associate with, or run into, or talk with.  That's what the early church did.  Rich and poor.  Jew and Gentile.  Slave and free.  Male and female.  Christianity brought really different people together.

I'm not sure Christianity in America still does that today.  Sociologists have called Sunday mornings the most segregated time in America.  Stories abound of homeless people coming into wealthy churches only to be told to go away.  When you walk in to a majority of churches, they are homogeneous.  Similar skin colors.  Similar backgrounds.  Similar class.  Why?  Well, birds of a feather...

Even when the issue is raised to consciousness, people withdrawal with excuses, "Well, THEY have their own worship style.  THEY have their own churches."  THEY could refer to old or young, black or white, English speaking or Spanish speaking, gay or straight, poor or rich, etc.  THEY simply means anyone who is different. 

How about we go back to Peter's day when he came to the realization, "God shows no partiality" and (I might add) neither should we?  If the Spirit was all about bringing different kinds of people together back then, shouldn't it be so today? 

So if you go to a church or are looking for a church, make sure it's one that is intentionally inclusive of ALL people or at least moving in that direction.  That's the only way this vision will become a reality.  As Ghandi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world," and (might I add) in the church.