Not Like Us

This past Sunday was World Communion Sunday, when Christians all over the world join in celebrating the Lord's Supper. We don't often think about them, especially since most of them... well, they're not like us! And that is the topic of my sermon.

I'm going to begin this sermon with a word association quiz. Don’t worry – there aren’t any right or wrong answers. I just want you to pay attention to the image that flashes into your mind when I say a word. Ready?

The first word is “inventor.” Who springs to mind when I say that word?

The next word is “musician.” Do all of you have someone in mind for that?

The last word is “Christian.” That one should be easy.

Now, I’m going to take a guess that the image that came to mind when I said each word was that of a white, middle-class person who looks a lot like we do. When I said “inventor,” you might have pictured Thomas Edison or the Wright brothers. I’ll bet that not many of you thought of George Washington Carver, the African-American genius who found so many uses for the peanut.

How about “musician”? Who came to your mind for that word? Was it Paul McCartney or Garth Brooks? I wonder if anyone thought of Yo Yo Ma, the Asian-American cellist who makes his instrument sing like the angels themselves.

And what about “Christian.” Who did you think of for that? Did you picture a middle-class American sitting in a church pew? Maybe you even thought of one of us here this morning.

None of those answers are wrong. The point that I’m trying to make is that when we talk about categories of people like “inventor,” “musician,” or “Christian,” we tend to think of people who look, talk, and act just like we do; and we exclude those who are different. The images of white, middle-class people just spring into our minds automatically, even though we all know perfectly well that there are lots of people who aren’t like us. It is human nature to divide people into those who are “like us” and those who are “not like us.” But when we divide people into those categories, it’s only a small step to believing that “not like us” means “not as good as us.” That kind of thinking puts us on a pedestal where we don’t belong; and it doesn’t give other people the credit that they deserve.

“Not like us” can take many forms. Sometimes, “not like us” is obvious: a different skin color, a different language, or different customs. But other times, “not like us” is sneakier. “Not like us” can be people who speak with a different accent, who belong to a different Christian denomination, or who worship differently than we do. “Not like us” can be people use praise bands to lead worship, and sit on folding chairs in gymnasiums instead of in church pews. Why, some of those “not like us” people even worship on Saturday night! Can you see how “not like us” can really drive a wedge between us and people who are our brothers and sisters? We start to get suspicious of people who are “not like us.” We wonder why they do things differently than we do. Are they hiding something? Are they really good people after all? If we’re not careful, we end up tumbling down a slippery slope, and we might end up all the way at the bottom thinking that the people who are “not like us” are absolute good-for-nothings!

Even Jesus’ disciples fell into this kind of trap. The gospel of Mark tells us that one day they came running to Jesus with a story about someone who was casting out demons in Jesus’ name. The trouble was, he wasn’t an official disciple. He hadn’t been with Jesus and the twelve as they journeyed through Galilee. He hadn’t sat at Jesus’ feet as to hear his teachings. Why, he probably didn’t even know the words to the Lord’s Prayer! And so, the Twelve had told him to stop what he was doing. Stop casting out demons! Stop liberating people from the grip of madness. Stop restoring their minds to sanity. Stop giving them a chance to live normal lives again. All they saw was that he didn’t have an official “disciple of Jesus” card. When they told Jesus what they had done, they didn’t get the praise that they expected. In fact, Jesus shook his head in despair. “Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “He’s on our side!”

We’re just like the disciples. We spend lots of time focusing on our differences; and we seldom think about just how much we have in common with other Christians. But not this morning. This morning is the one day in the Christian year that we focus on how we are alike instead of on how we are different. This morning, instead of concentrating on how other Christians are “not like us,” we focus on how Christians around the world are “likeus” as we all join in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. This morning, all of us Christians, wherever in the world we may live, are remembering the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on our behalf. We are all celebrating the Bread of Life that consoles us, supports us, and nourishes us. And we are all looking forward to the great banquet at the end of time, when all of us will sit down at God’s table in glory, and all our differences won’t matter a hoot anymore.

Now, the practices of some of those Christians may be very different from ours. They may be sharing rye bread, pita bread, or rice cakes. They may be drinking grape juice, rice wine, or even milk. They may be distributing the elements on plates and in little cups as they sit in church pews; or they may be eating from a common loaf and drinking from a common cup as they kneel at the altar. But all of us are praising the same God, following the same Christ, and filled with the same Spirit. We are all beloved children of God who are in need of God’s amazing grace; and we find that grace right here at the table of Jesus Christ.

So, everyone is invited to come to the table! Come, take your place with people of all nationalities, languages, cultures, and customs. Come, because we are all God’s people who have eternal life through the grace of Jesus Christ. Come, join with our brothers and sisters around the world; because Jesus Christ has invited all of us!