Living in the Spirit
August 18, 2014 

Scripture Reading: Exodus 1:8-2:10 

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, ‘Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.’  —Exodus 1:8-10

The headline read: Census: White majority in U.S. gone by 2043* I would have thought it would be sooner than that, but I live in a city where right now the only white not Hispanic population is at 56.7%. The fastest growing groups here are Asian and Hispanic. Most of my immediate world is well integrated: my neighborhood, stores, schools, gym, and the child care at my church but not so much the membership of my local church. It is not unusual for advertisements and other signs to be in both English and Spanish. My denomination at the state and national level are very integrated. I grew up on a farm in a very white community with only a few American Indians and that is still true in much of rural American today, although there is more growth in the Hispanic population working in agriculture. Our country has controlled the number of people being admitted as legal immigrants by country of origin, which results to a great extent in controlling the number by race or ethnicity**.  Thus most of the growth in minority populations is through birth.

We in America could learn from the mistakes of the King of Egypt. His solution to the “problem” of the growth of the population of people he had enslaved probably caused the disaster that he foresaw.  His cruelty and mistreatment drove the Israelites out of Egypt. The fear of giving up the status of white superiority can only lead to further division in our own country.

We use to sing Jesus loves the little children all the children of the world red, and yellow, black and white.*** I wonder if we meant it and whether he expects the same of us?

Prayer: God, increase our understanding that your love is indivisible and there is more than enough for all your children. Create in us clean hearts and right spirits toward all of your children. Amen.

* http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/13/18934111-census-white-majority-in-us-gone-by-2043?lite

** The Immigration Act of 1924, or Johnson–Reed Act, including the National Origins Act, and Asian Exclusion Act (Pub.L. 68–139, 43 Stat. 153, enacted May 26, 1924), limits the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to 2% of the number of people from that country who were already living in the United States in 1890.

*** From Jesus Loves the Little Children. Words by C. Herbert Woolston, music by George F. Root

 All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.