Mike Novotny - When People Are Different
I'm standing here in front of the ancient synagogue of Magdala. It's the home of Mary Magdalene. A place in Galilee where Jesus certainly was preaching and teaching the Kingdom of God 2,000 years ago. And as I'm walking around these ancient stones, it strikes me what God says about His church and His people.
If you've ever gone to church, have you noticed that people are kind of different? I mean different in a lot of ways. They're different genders, different ages, different races, different personalities, different gifts, different weaknesses, different senses of humor, different political views, different struggles. And yet, what happens when we gather in church? All these different kinds of people come together and there, Jesus shows up.
And I'm thinking about this synagogue that they built in Magdala and I'm looking at all these stones. And you can see, the stones aren't all the same. They're not like mass produced bricks that are all the exact same height and width. Instead, they're stones of different shapes and sizes and yet, they're built together. And 2,000 years ago, Jesus showed up among these stones. You know, that simple fact makes me think of Ephesians chapter two where we find these words.
Now, the Holy Spirit brings people together, like this building. Different stones were not all the same and yet, there God lives. He's present among us as we worship. He's working in the hearts of the people who sit to your left and right as you worship in church. And that's such a great reminder for us. You know, sometimes church would be easier if we were all the same. We all like the same music, the same style of preaching, the same budget, the same vision, the same direction, the same values, but that's just not how the church is. That's not how people work.
But when you see people in your church that are different than you, I want you to remember these words, that God lives in them too. He's brought them to faith, which is a beautiful thing. He's inspired them to come to church and worship, which is a beautiful thing. And He brings them into your presence so you can love them too which is a beautiful thing. So when you see people that are a little bit different or you feel a little bit different in your church remember these stones. They're so different and yet, they have this one thing in common. As they were joined together, they all got to overhear the beautiful news from the lips of Jesus, Himself. That's another incredible message, we learn right here at Magdala.