The world isn’t waiting for advice about how to solve its problems. It’s waiting for somebody to listen to it and love it.

There’s a reason that McDonald’s is known as “the Golden Arches” — the trademark “M” outside each restaurant is a brilliant shade of yellow. Currently, there are over 40,000 McDonald’s restaurants in 100 countries, but only one location has blue arches…turquoise, to be exact. It’s located in Sedona, Arizona, where the distinct color is meant to blend more harmoniously with the natural scenery surrounding the building.

Sedona is loved for the beauty of its landscapes and pristine desert vistas. The blue arches were meant to appease Sedona’s city planning commission and harmonize with the earthy aesthetic that the city planners were aiming for. McDonald’s was seeking to be culturally sensitive. 

Human culture is the patterns of thought, relationships, values, beliefs and behavior. It’s assumed and accepted without critical reflection. It is expressed in different ways: There is Western culture, Chinese culture, 21^st century culture, 16^th century culture, European Culture, American culture —and within America, there are varied cultures – like Wisconsin culture. 

There is a rural culture, regional culture, suburban culture, inner-city culture, wealthy culture, middle-class culture, working-class culture, and welfare culture. Different age and economic groups have different cultures. Even different sports and fans have different cultures.

As Christians, we’re to have a biblical culture. That doesn’t mean that we hide or seek to eradicate our “native” culture. For example, Jane is originally from East Lansing, Michigan. She nearly bleeds green and white and is an avid MSU Spartan fan. At one point, we believed that the Lord was leading us to launch a church in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the home of the University of Michigan and Wolverines, the Spartans chief rival. 

The Lord closed the door and led us to Burlington. But if we had planted a church in Ann Arbor, it would have been foolish and worse, anti-cultural for Jane to go around wearing MSU sweatshirts and talk about the Spartans being a superior team to the Wolverines. She didn’t need to sacrifice her love and loyalty. It would just have been secondary to the mission. 

The culture our world desperately needs is the Christ-culture. It’s a counterculture for everything in this world. It’s modeled in the life of Christ. Jesus adapted to His culture. The incarnation is not just about Jesus coming to this world. Incarnational means that He became one of us. That cry for an incarnational God was communicated by a Joan Osborne song with the lyric, What if God were one of us? He was! 

The Apostle Paul understood incarnational Christianity. He wrote: To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might save some (1 Corinthians 9:22). 

The most important message that this world needs is that Jesus loves them and He died so that they could go to heaven and have heaven in their heart and life now. As Christ-followers, we are called to share His message. That requires Incarnational Christianity, so where does it start? 

Incarnational Christianity begins by listening. 

It’s nearly impossible to share the most important message that can be shared unless you first listen. Good listening skills slow us down and enable us to know where someone is coming from. It helps us know their history and background. We need to listen to what they’re sharing from their heart. 

Listening well tells others they’re valuable and communicates they’re valuable to God. Just as God patiently listens to our prayers with His heart, we must listen with more than our ears. 

Pride drives us to talk. God’s love motivates us to humble ourselves, to be quiet and when we talk, to make sure we speak timely words that produce life, hope, and peace in the heart of the listener. Before I can verbally share God’s love and the gospel, I need to model His love by simply listening. 

So, let me walk out on a dangerous limb and seek to work through what it means to listen with three groups whose stories are blowing up the internet. Jesus loves those in these three groups. So, here is what I believe hypothetically what we’d learn if we just listened. 

What could we learn from protesters against ICE if we listened? 

They would be concerned with what they consider aggressive tactics by federal agents and the separation of immigrant families of children and parents. They’re concerned with political motivations because they believe the government is strong arming citizens and illegal immigrants. 

What could we learn from ICE agents if we listened? 

ICE agents see this as a way to make a difference in our country. They want to protect their communities, uphold the law, and contribute to national security. They want to safeguard our country and local neighborhoods from illegal activity. It’s driven by national pride in serving the USA.

What could we learn from illegal immigrants if we listened? 

Illegal immigrants come to America primarily for better job opportunities, a higher quality of life and to provide for their families. Natural disasters and famine also drive them to seek refuge here. They come to escape violence or political oppression. Most would prefer to enter the U.S. legally but don’t believe that current immigration laws provide a viable path. 

If we would listen first, even if we might disagree with their position, it would open doors to share what each group needs most – Jesus! Study the New Testament and you will find that the early church reached out to those who’d be representative of each group. Protesters – Simon the Zealot (Luke 6:15), who was one of Jesus’ disciples. Ice Agents – Matthew and Zaccheus, tax collectors (Matthew 9:9; Luke 19:1-19) and employees of Caesar (Philippians 4:22). Illegal Immigrants – Onesimus a runaway slave (the book of Philemon). 

The bottom line is that whether they’re protesters, ICE agents or illegal immigrants those are all minor issues compared to the greatest need – a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And it’s amazing when someone becomes a Christ-follower, minor issues are resolved by a gospel transformation. Onesimus, a runaway slave, after coming to Christ returned to his master though it could have meant re-enslavement or execution. 

What’s the most important message that we must share, no matter what someone’s culture or position? Jesus! And it starts with first listening!