Our Multicultural Reality

Have you ever thought about all the different “cultures” you are a part of?

You may immediately think of culture as being based on ethnicity, or perhaps the particular city and nation you live in. You are also a member of a particular family and are here now together as a particular local church. You are a part of a certain generation and a particular sex. Your workplace even has its own culture.

For many, you can also think of cultures you were a part of in your past, but that you no longer come into contact with on a regular basis. To define culture, we could describe it as the beliefs, values, and behaviors that are shared by a group of people and are passed on from one generation to the next.

Since culture, at its root, is informed and created by our beliefs, we are forced to live with the tension that no culture “has it all figured out.” In 1 John 1:8, we read that, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

What that means this morning is that every single one of us, without exception, has sin in our lives. That can be said of individuals, and it can also be said of communities, just like the one we have here at Cities. We have unseen roots below us, as it were, some of which are healthy roots, full of truth and love and righteousness. And, we have unhealthy roots, perhaps tinged with untruths and unbelief.

In view of this, I want to exhort us in two ways.

First, I encourage us to value the culture that we have here at Cities Church. Give thanks to God that we are a church that gives careful thought to the “roots” so that the fruit will be good. We long for God’s Word to inform everything we are and do.

Second, embrace with humility the fact that no matter how many truths we embed into the hardwiring of the culture here at Cities, we are not immune from the deceitfulness of sin and the realities of a fallen world. We strive to get it right, and yet we still get it wrong at times. This should humble us and also motivate us to constantly seek God for grace and a clearer understanding and more faithful application of his Word.

In summary, be grateful and stay humble!

One final word, specifically to the older teenagers in the room. You were especially on my heart as I prepared this exhortation. Many of you know very well what it’s like to switch between different cultural contexts, and some of you are preparing to step out into perhaps a radically different culture in your high school, among different friend groups, or even college this fall. Keep your bearings by remembering that there is no perfect culture — except for when the Kingdom of God has fully come. As you mature in your thinking, always examine the roots — not only the obvious fruits of the groups or cultures you come into contact with. Let God’s Word guide you — and all of us — as we navigate our multicultural reality.

This leads us to our need to confess our sins.

Lord, we live in a society that proclaims the value of diverse cultures and yet fails to recognize truth and the reality of sin. We tend to praise other cultures and demean and belittle our own. Help us to see clearly through the lens of your Word that there is only one perfect culture — that of your kingdom. So may your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Forgive us for failing to give thanks on the one hand and for excessive pride on the other. By your Spirit, examine our hearts now as we enter into a time of silent confession.