Pick Your God II: India & Irvine- Dr. Francis Burgula

Part 2 with Francis. I don’t know many Indians. As an American, I
want to say, “You know like Indian Indians, not like American
Indians.” I can not imagine how ignorant that must sound to the
people who make up 1.3 billion of the world’s population. If you
need something to put that in perspective as I do, that’s over
three times the population of the United States.


But wait. What race is Francis? I bet you don’t know. In fact, I
bet you are not sure how many races there are in the world. Your
mind is saying 5 right? or is it 4? or 7? I’m not going to tell
you and if you do know that answer, right now you are feeling
insulted and want to tell me. But do I mean race as a biological
category or a sociological one? Which is it? Do I really mean
ethnicity? 


Wait again. Name those races. What are they? Once again I bet you
can’t name the major races, let alone the corresponding
ethnicities and countries they mainly populate.


But you feel strongly about the race dialogue going on in
America, so much so that there is a good chance your friendships
are being effected. You are insulted by those who are taking a
different view from you. You may think they are ignorant and
backward and bigoted or they may be ill-informed and pushy or
snobby. I have some friends who are considering cutting off
friends and even posted on Facebook if you have XYZ view, you can
unfriend me. I don’t want to even be around you. Really? 


Some of you aren’t hearing a word because you are stuck on Black,
White, Indian, Asian and you are counting on your fingers as you
do it. What are you missing?


We could do the same exercise in Major World Religions if we
wanted to. What are the major World Religions? I divert.


Back to Francis. I don’t know many Indians. I don’t have many
Indian friends. Francis is a new friend for me and I suspect he
will be one for life and it is going to be good and deep and
filled with humor and teasing and a mutual passion for the God we
love, the one Triune God who reveals Himself in Holy Scripture.


Francis is going to teach me more about Indians, the amazing
diversity among these people, their land, their history, their
food, and cultures. I’ll probably even pick up novels about India
that I never would have considered before I met Francis.


His skin has different pigmentation than mine. Of course, I
notice it. I’m not blind. Do I care? Not really. Bet you don’t
either.  Why? Because it is Francis. You know his name, His
mission, his values, his love of God and country.


Why do I know Francis? Because as a middle-age man he came to my
country and he learned about my people and from my people. When
he met me, he smiled and shook my hand. I know Francis because he
came here.


I don’t want to push an analogy too far, but that’s also the
story of the Gospel the Church has taught for 2,000 years. God
made the trip. He came here, to this earth, in human flesh. His
name is Jesus. He cared. He loved. He taught. He died. The
message: “In my Father’s House there are many mansions. If it
were not so I would have told you.” Want one of those
mansions? 


Check out a church today who can tell you more about that. The
real estate up there in Heaven sure isn’t cheap, but the price
has already been paid. And that is what we mean by “AND” and that
is WORTH A THOUGHT.


For Church Hurts AND this is John Bash. Love somebody today and
Enjoy God, won’t you?