Hello ICC Family!
I realized this week that I have lived in this area for a year and a half now and not been called a Yankee one time. I was called a Yankee all the time when I lived in the Raleigh area for seminary. It’s not that it offended me. After all, I’m from the Midwest. Kansas didn’t really have much of a part in that conflict. So, it didn’t really apply literally, but it did always communicate the subtle message that people wanted me to be aware of - that I was not fully one of them. When we lived in China, we would hear people talk about us as 外国人 (wàiguórén) when we walked by. Which literally means outside country person. That statement was accurate. Sometimes, though, we would hear 大鼻子 (dàbízi) which literally means “big nose”. That was a term that on good days would make you smile, but that on bad days could make you cry, because once again you were reminded that no matter how hard you tried and how well you could speak Chinese… you were the outsider.
I also realize as I am writing this that many people in our church would have similar, and perhaps even more difficult stories of how they have been treated and what they have been called as transplants in the United States. Many in our church are indeed immigrants from another country. This is factual just like it was factual that we were “outside country people” in China when we lived there. But there is a big difference between recognizing that as a part of your life history and using that fact to make people feel like they are not and might never fully be part of the local community. As an international church full of international people, we should be aware of this issue even more than other churches. We long to reflect the scene that will one day be carried out around the throne of God, with people from every tongue, tribe, people, and nation worshiping the King of Kings together. Therefore, we should be doing all we can to make people feel welcome and a true part of our family. Because if they are Christians… that is truly what they are!
And the thought that I woke up with this morning and that has encouraged me so greatly today is this… There is a kingdom and a family that none of us are a part of at birth - regardless of where we were born. But that all of us can join. It is a family and kingdom with greater benefits than any other because it continues for eternity and is filled with perfect love. You don’t have to learn the language or culture or try to fit in at all to gain citizenship there, because somebody else did all of that work for you. (Although after you enter, you will want to change to be more like the King.) And you will never, ever be called an outsider or a foreigner or a big nose or even a Yankee. You will just immediately and forever be called a child of God.
Many of us will never be recognized as locals in the Low Country, no matter how long we live here or how hard we try. But praise the Lord that the second we believed in and accepted Jesus, we were recognized as locals in the Kingdom of God!
”But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”
John 1:12-13
I hope to see you this evening at our prayer and discipleship time. I wrote this last week, but I really hope that you try to make it to the movie night this Friday. As I said before, it will both challenge and encourage your faith! I will leave the link to the trailer here in case you missed it last week. Free Burma Rangers | Official Theatrical Trailer - YouTube
Blessings to you all. And know that I’m praying for you!
Pastor Aaron
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