Our church

just completed its annual presentation of some sort of special Christmas

play. For the last two years we have presented renditions of A Cricket

County Christmas. It's about two sets of cousins city and country who

interact with one another and in all their cultural mix-ups, they experience

the true meaning of the Christmas Story.

With a bunch

of laugh lines, the play reaches its climax when Glenda Mae, obviously

one of the country cousins, tells the story of the birth of the Savior.

With country dialect, she powerfully and touchingly draws the picture

of the travelers, the full inns, the stable out back, the star in the

sky, and the birth of the Savior with a feeding trough for a cradle. Tears

came to tender hearts as the lowly story was told by a lowly country gal.

The play not

only was about him who came to break down walls dividing Jew and Gentile,

Black and White, but the play itself was a picture of the incarnation

of such. Take a close look at Brenda Mae and Glenda Mae. Sisters in the

play, in real life they are a white woman and a black woman. For someone

unused to such things, they may have asked the question, "How so?

How can a totally black woman be a sister with a white woman?"

Some may look

at the play's many scenes and ask, "How could that be in real life?"

But, hold on

to your seats, for us folks at River's Edge, "it don't make no difference."

We don't see black and white; we see Pam and Karen.

And as I understand

the Bible, God sees it that way. The Bible says, "God does not see

as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks

at the heart"(1 Samuel 16:7).

When will we

cease and desist judging people on the color of their skin rather than

the content of their heart? When will all our play-acting about a Savior

born for all people come to a reality not only in society, but also in

our hearts, homes, and churches?

Some, over

the years, may have tired from a familiar carol coming from this column;

but, if we are ever to get a victory in race relations in this country,

we all must come together at the level land of the cross of Jesus Christ.

Not just talk about coming together at the level land of the cross, but

actually doing it.

What we have

discovered at River's Edge is that once you get to know people whether

they are black, white, red, or yellow you begin to go beyond their skin

pigmentation to their true personalities and values.

As we celebrate

the birth of the Savior for all people, let us begin to do something about

the color of our churches. I contend our Savior would be embarrassed for

his bride to be found "all dressed in white" or for that matter,

"all dressed in Black."

Merry Christmas.

But, let us get real with what the birth of Jesus was all about.

The Rev.

Dr. John Hatcher is pastor of

River's Edge Community Church

1091 South Jeff Davis Drive

Fayetteville, Georgia 30215

770-719-0303

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