Even in Missoula

"Hey, I just want to know, do I look like him?"

That's what he was asking, the guy leaning in over the table, interjecting himself into our conversation. He looked only at me; he did not acknowledge the man I was having coffee with.

It took me a moment to understand why: Jimmy, on my right, was black. This guy standing to my left, however, was not. Yet half an hour earlier, I had asked him, "Hey, are you Jimmy?"

He had been standing alone on the other side of the coffee shop, waiting for someone, head turned to the side, unshaven face making his features look darker. And as soon as he had turned to look at me, it was obvious he wasn't the person I was there to meet. But that's the hard part of connecting over coffee with someone you haven't seen since they were in high school - neither of you knows for sure what the other person's going to look like.

So it was my mistake, and now that Bearded Guy realizes I took him for Black Guy, he's evidently insulted, insulted enough to actually walk up to our table and toss out his smart-assed comment. I was stunned. And then I was pissed. I realize that is strong language, but there are times when nothing less than strong language is appropriate.

I fumbled for words, saying something lame like "Well, I haven't seen him in years..." but Bearded Guy just sauntered off. Jimmy, to his credit, never even blinked. He just sat there for a moment and then continued the conversation.

Someone said a while back that they hoped we'd be tolerant here in Missoula. Not of this kind of behavior. Sorry folks, but its just wrong. And it pisses me off, because the church is meant to be a place where God's grace is extended to all who seek it, where there are no second class citizens, where justice rolls like water. Martin Luther King didn't make that up you know - he was just quoting the prophet Amos. Racism should piss us off, even in Missoula. Especially in Missoula. And especially in the church.

The church is meant to be a place of justice. And sometimes, that requires us to take a stand and say things are wrong. It also requires us to put our money where our mouth is and strive to make them right. Because the church is meant to be the place where heaven and earth meet, where God's agenda breaks through and actually makes a difference in the world.

If diversity bothers you, you probably won't like our church. But that's ok. After all, the kingdom of God is not for everyone...