In Christ there is no east or west,

In him no south or north, 

But one great fellowship of love

Throughout the whole wide earth.

                     John Oxenham

It’s imperative that Christians of all stripes, color, race, origin, ethnicity, denomination, and any other separation anyone can think of should join together in a display of love, brother- and sisterhood and unity in Christ.

The current division and hatred that is growing across America is ugly, dangerous and against everything we stand for in the body of Christ. Where is the example of love and acceptance going to come from if not from us? We carry the banner of love and unity, not to mention worth and value. The precious value of every life is ours to appreciate and protect.

The awful hate crimes that are currently being visited upon Asian Americans in retaliation for the so-called “Chinavirus,” are a case in point. I somehow thought that as a human race you grow out of certain attitudes history tells you were wrong, but I guess not. I’m not so sure that should we suddenly be transported back 200 years we wouldn’t do what my European ancestors did to the native Americans all over again as if we’ve learned nothing.

Of course the most serious flaw in this thinking is that when you exercise any kind of prejudice, you do so because you believe you and yours are better. This, of course, is not true. It seems right that white people like me would have Mexican American housecleaners and gardeners, but what if those housecleaners and gardeners grow into successful businesses and suddenly white people are working for them? How is that? The owner of the Los Angeles Angels baseball team is a Mexican American who has a lot of white people working for him. How is that? That is just fine. That is what makes this country great.

You and I as followers of Christ can solve this problem of prejudice by realizing first off that we, because of our utter sinfulness and need of a savior, are lower than everybody. We are the worst of sinners. We never have to worry about putting ourselves over anyone because we know that we are below everyone. Doesn’t matter who they are or what they’ve done, there is no worst sinner than me. I’m looking up to everybody.

As followers of Jesus we have an opportunity to show a better way. As this great hymn suggests, we have a oneness in Christ that stretches the world over. And it doesn’t just apply to believers, but to every human being made in the image of God and loved by Him, and over which God’s son has paid the price of His own death to redeem. How can we possibly ever speak unkindly of even one of these.

Join hands, then, people of the faith,

Whate’er your race may be;

All children of the living God

Are surely kin to me.