BY CHRIS GRASKE
As I sat on the top level of a tall San Francisco building, I gazed in awe of the beauty. Every flickering light - a person made in God’s image loved and known. As I continued to stare across the city towards the light-sprinkled hills, a Bible verse came to mind. It was in Revelation 7, with this scene of people from every tribe, every tongue, every nation. This settled in my heart:
San Francisco was similar.
If you look at the entire Bay Area, it is a hyper-diverse region, with large populations of ethnically Chinese, Mexican, African American, Caucasian, Filipino, Jewish, Vietnamese and more peoples. With smaller populations of ethnically Tongan, Burmese, Gujarati, Bengali and Cuban peoples to name a few, it makes the San Francisco Bay Area a beautifully diverse part of the United States.
If you were to take a walk through San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, you might hear the conversations in Mandarin, Cantonese, or Russian. You might hear the sound of music or children laughing and playing. Then you could take a break and grab a bite at one of the local Yemeni, Mexican, Sudanese, or Ethiopian restaurants. You could get some quality coffee, but you’d better pass on that for now, and on your way back, don’t be tempted by the smell of fresh bread for Báhn Mì on Larkin St. or the luring aroma of the Indian-Pakistani Cuisine that runs up Jones St. I assure you, you’re already going to be plenty full!
I love this. Seeing people from many different backgrounds, whatever differences there may be, together as one is a beautiful thing - and I’ve seen this taken place so beautifully in the body of Christ. Due to many privileges, we have here in the United States, it’s easy for many Christians to have a mindset of serving people who are “over there”. It can be thought that the ones who could use service, intentionality, or love are far away from home, somewhere else in a distant land. But what about next door?
The nations are at the doorstep here in San Francisco.
In a place that represents every tribe, tongue, and nation, how are you loving your neighbor? In a City that represents endless ideas, worldview, and perspectives, how are you living out the love and call of Christ? With every corner of the world represented in San Francisco, it may take a city like San Francisco to represent God’s love to the world. What’s your part in the bigger story?