Too Vanilla

 Vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavor in the world. In the United States, 17% of people prefer chocolate with 15% opting for vanilla. Every once in awhile you come across somebody who serves both flavors in a swirl. I love the swirl flavored cone. I just might have to get a swirl frozen yogurt today. I guess if you got right to it, I would be a vanilla guy myself. 

Vanilla is a classic. It will never go out of style as some other exotic flavors come and go. Vanilla is good. Basic. Widely revered. It is good. Except in the church. Let me explain. 

I am no longer talking about ice cream flavors. I am talking about racial diversity in congregations. Many fellowships are too vanilla. Meaning there are too many white people and not enough racial diversity. We have white churches and we have black churches and there are hispanic churches and so on. The worship hour across America is still segregated. 

Last night at the skate park we met a young man of color. He talked about his love of singing. We asked if he sang in the choir at the high school. He replied, "No. They sing boring songs like in a Baptist Church." That opened the door to talk to Silas (not his real name) about being saved. Silas was an interesting young man. He was into music, football, and skating. There were no other people of color at the park last night. 

Later I made the comment about a community being too vanilla. The more I ponder that fact I cannot get away from thinking about the church. You may attend worship gatherings where people of color frequently attend and are embraced. I am betting those fellowships are not the majority. 

We love to teach our children to sing Jesus Loves The Little Children. We chirp, red, yellow, black, and white, they are all precious in His sight. We love to sing it. Do we live that way? Do we worship that way?

I am so pleased in recent days God started adding people of color to Spring Creek. I can look out over the congregation and see other flavors of people than vanilla. I rejoice and praise God for this. I believe this is how it should be. 

Just ponder John 3:16. For God so loved the world....The world. Different nations and nationalities. Different skin colors. Different languages. Different cultures and different music. Heaven will be populated multiculturally. If the will of God is to be done on earth like it is in Heaven, then we are doing to have to get along and embrace different races. There will people in Heaven from every tongue, tribe, and nation. We will worship with them there. We might want to start getting used it to it down here. May God bring all the flavors of ethnic groups into His house. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes should not perish but have everlasting life. [John 3:16]