Partiality

On August 28, 1963 the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his well-known “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. From it, several of his aspirations were articulated, including his dreams of a hopeful future in which people would not be judged according to skin color but by character. He said: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

While there are lingering feelings of bigotry in the hearts of some, the issue goes beyond just the color of one’s skin. Among those who claim the name of Christ as their Savior, divisions abound along many lines. Some tend to take exception to the way one dresses – to the school they attended – even to the football team they support. Even within the hallowed halls of God’s house, some are judged by the style of clothing worn by visitors and those who “are not our kind.”

It could be that the reason they are clad in not so clean attire and fashioning a smudge or two on their face is that they genuinely are struggling to make ends meet and they used their clothing allowance to buy food. Maybe the reason his eyes are bloodshot and his cheeks swollen is because he has been long on his knees in prayer crying out to the One who cares. Could it be that the odor he wears is due to the fact that he has been sleeping in his car because he lost his job and has nowhere to go?

Could we be indicted for shunning the one whose appearance doesn’t quite measure up to our own? Greeting the “regulars” and extending the warm hand of friendship to those who fit our church’s dress standard is a wonderful thing – but, what about the poor, downtrodden soul who lives across the road from the church in a broken down shack?

Unfortunately, while we might send thousands of dollars to foreign mission fields to help the needy, our civilized church members hardly rise out of their seats to greet a guest unless that guest was a well-known celebrity.

Here is a simple test we can perform on ourselves right now – where we sit. Whenever your church has a meal fellowship (in the South we call it “Dinner on the Grounds”), with whom do you sit? Do you congregate with the same people you have fellowshipped with at every other event? Or, do you seek out the ones sitting off by themselves? Do you only sit with family and friends? Or, do you avail yourself of being in the company of the less fortunate?

Although it is quite natural to be drawn to those with whom we share interests or family ties, God’s Word behooves us to go out of our way to make the uncomfortable feel comforted.

Copyright © 2023 Dr. John H. Hill, All rights reserved.