Rudyard Kipling’s The Ballad of East and West opens, “Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.” This can’t be said of the world today. Every day in thousands of ways and in hundreds of places East and West are not only meeting, they are chatting, working together, and finding each other simply fascinating.

From the countries of China, Korea, Japan, and the Philippines as well as Thailand, Cambodia, India, Vietnam, and the Pacific Islands, Asians daily move throughout the world for education, business, and travel welcomed in thousands of diverse cities.

Of the total Asian population in the US, 20% may be found in the Northeast and nearly half in the West, especially California. Asians are found throughout the US, studying in universities, facilitating the US’s huge trade with the countries of Asia, and filling vital roles in the medical field.

Christians in North America aren’t just fascinated with our Asian guests, we hear Christ’s invitation to welcome them, care for them, and live an authentic Christian witness among them. Kipling correctly noted that peoples from the East and West look at the world very differently. Yet, the Church throughout the centuries has shown that God is concerned about all peoples and that Christ meets the needs of every culture and group.

Christ does this through his people as we offer help in obtaining driving licenses, learning and improving English, sharing meals and opening ourselves to curiosity that develops a witness with integrity.

In the case of peoples from Asia, once we have followed Jesus’ example and actually seen the crowds, how may we, as did he, show compassion for these welcomed guests whom Christ would have us serve?

First, we need eyes to see the crowds from Asia who live nearby and whose children attend the same school as our children. As busy people heading to work, school, or appointments Jesus asks us to stop and see the crowds, and let them move our hearts as they did his.

Next, we need our cultural self-centeredness cleansed and reformed so that we embrace those from Asia, doing the hard work of crossing the cultural and faith bridges to them, rather than waiting for them to learn our ways of living, thinking, speaking, and believing. We then give ourselves to transformative ministries.

In Louisiana, a university campus Christian group was passionate about ministry to international students. They showed the Jesus Film. Tina, a young student from China, believed in Christ. When she moved to Michigan to take up a business appointment she found a loving welcome in a Church of the Nazarene. Moving to a Midwestern city, Tina invited Kaye, a Japanese graduate student who lived in her apartment complex to attend worship with her. Although she considered herself Buddhist, Kaye heard the gospel – and saw it lived out in the lives of day-to-day people - and believed in Jesus.

Upon the US and Canada being declared mission areas, Dr. Tom Nees called for every church to not be satisfied until it is a multi-cultural church. This can take a variety of forms, such as an international class or small group, making your church facilities available for congregations of various nationalities, and sharing worship in ways that uplift and affirm cultural variety in music, preaching, and scripture reading. Developing a multi-cultural congregation takes prayer, openness, and lots of communication.

Rudyard Kipling continued the Ballad in verse that could be written of those who in Christ’s name welcome the guest, and minister that grace of Christ in spite of cultural differences:

But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth, When two strong men stand face to face, tho’ they come from the ends of the earth!

Have you seen the crowds from Asia?