Culture and Hospitality

If one goes into a restaurant and orders "sweet bread", what does one get?  Apparently this term has different meanings.  Growing up in Southern California I have only been acquainted with one kind of sweet bread...Pan Dulce.  However, I learned last night another meaning for sweet bread...and sweet is not the word that comes to mind when I think of what it is!  This came up as part of our discussion last night on cultural differences.  Gina R. lead us through Hospitality and Culture with scripture and lively discussion.

First we looked at many scriptures that helped us to see a bit of God's heart, regarding the nations of the world.  I think we could sum it up in two words by saying, "no partiality".  His grace extends to anyone that will call on the name of Christ and  he favors no cultural or ethnic group over another.  We also looked at scriptures where we see God's call to us to reach out in hospitality to those of other cultural groups.  Some of those verses were:  Exodus 22:21,  Psalms 146:9, Deuteronomy 10:12-21 and 1 Corinthians 9: 19-23. 

We discussed the different views of time, depending on our cultural background ...and if you live in Southern California, you are well aware of what I mean.  I think we concluded that it is good to really understand why we have these cultural differences and seek to relate to each other with grace.  Look for an upcoming blog entry for some tips on dealing with this difference in how we related to time.

Thanks again Gina for leading us through this chapter and for giving us some valuable insights. 

Tracy