How Listening to Outsiders Transforms Your Faith | Cross Culture

Welcome to this week's episode of Trinity Sermons.

This week we are continuing our sermon series,

Cross Culture, where we are looking at what it

means for us to be a diverse community of people

who all come together to worship Christ. And

we're welcoming a guest speaker, Alex Lee, who

is a PhD candidate in Intercultural Studies at

Fuller Seminary, and he also works at Tyndale's

Intercultural Ministry Centre. Alex is going

to be talking to us more about what it means

to have relationships across difference. what

it means that people from different cultures

and backgrounds and nationalities can all be

ways that God speaks to us and can be voices

that enrich our faith. He's also going to share

about the importance of wonder and humility in

the midst of it all. Today's scripture reading

is from Luke chapter 24, verses 13 to 35. Now

Luke 24:13–35

that same day, two of them were going to a village

called Emmaus. about seven miles from Jerusalem.

They were talking with each other about everything

that had happened. As they talked and discussed

these things with each other, Jesus himself came

up and walked alongside them, but they were kept

from recognizing him. He asked them, What are

you discussing together as you walk along? They

stood still, their faces downcast. One of them,

named Cleopas, asked him, Are you the only one

visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things

that have happened there in these days? What

things, he said. About Jesus of Nazareth, they

replied. He was a prophet, powerful in word and

deed before God and all the people. The chief

priests and our rulers handed him over to be

sentenced to death, and they crucified him. But

we had hoped that he was the one who was going

to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the

third day since all this took place. In addition,

some of our women amazed us. They went to the

tomb early this morning, but didn't find his

body. They came and told us that they had seen

visions of angels who had said he was alive.

Then some of our companions went to the tomb

and found it just as the women had said, but

they did not see Jesus. He said to them, How

foolish you are, and how slow to believe all

that the prophets have spoken. Did not the Messiah

have to suffer these things and then enter his

glory? In the beginning with Moses and all the

prophets, he explained to them what was said

in all the scriptures concerning himself. As

they approached the village to which they were

going, Jesus continued on as if he was going

farther, but they urged him strongly, Stay with

us, for it is nearly evening, and the day is

almost over. So he went in to stay with them.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread,

gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to

them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized

him, and he disappeared from their sight. They

asked each other, Were not our hearts burning

within us while he talked with us on the road

and opened the scriptures to us? They got up

and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they

found the eleven and those with them, assembled

together, and saying, It is true, the Lord has

risen and has appeared to Simon. And the two

told what had happened on the way and how Jesus

was recognized by them. when he broke the bread.

This is the word of the Lord. Wow, thank you

so much, everyone. That was a very warm welcome

indeed. It's a pleasure to be with you all here

this morning. Typically, my family and I, we

worship at St. Philip's on the Hill Anglican

Church over in Unionville. So it was a bit of

a drive this morning, but it was nice. The weather

was nice, and it wasn't too long, the traffic

wasn't too bad, and I'm happy to be with you

to share the Word of God. Thank you, Rob, for

the introduction. Well, back in December, while

it was getting cold and gray here in the GTA,

I found myself in sunny Southern California.

please don't get too mad at me it was not a vacation

and i had very little intention to visit los

angeles of all places especially after the dodgers

had beaten our blue jays something i'm still

a little upset about but i was there as a part

of a group of six christian and six muslim scholars

spending a week together, wrestling with some

big questions of faith, politics, and democracy,

and how people with deep and real differences

might live together, not just tolerantly, but

peacefully, constructively, and faithfully. We

had a really great time together. And then at

the retreat center where we stayed, there was

also, at the same time, an international exhibit

of nativity scenes. More than a hundred of them

from all over the world, each of them telling

the same story, unto us a child is born, yet

telling it slightly differently. Different clothing,

different settings, different faces, different

farm animals. Pueblo nativities from New Mexico.

Beautiful scenes from Guatemala. And some that

were just playful. When my kids saw this one

of a Lego set, they're like, Dad, we need to

get one ourselves. And here's one. You can come

and see this later if you want to see it more

closely. Here's one I brought home from Peru,

a Peruvian retablo, beautifully, carefully handcrafted

and hand -painted. And as I stood there looking

at these creative and diverse nativities, I realized

this is what the gospel looks like when it has

taken root in the community. That insight carried

into a lunchtime conversation with my Muslim

colleagues. We spoke honestly, there were real

differences, but we also listened deeply. And

one contrast came into sharp focus. For many

Muslims, for most Muslims, God's final revelation

came as a book given in a specific language,

Arabic, so sacred and beautiful that it cannot

truly be translated. Meaning can be explained,

yes, but the revelation itself is bound to the

original words. And here's where Christianity

is a bit different. Because from the very beginning,

ours has been a translating faith. The gospel

did not stay in one language or one culture.

It migrated. It moved from Jerusalem into the

Greek -speaking world, from synagogue into the

marketplace. Think of Paul. in Athens, standing

before the philosophers, speaking of the unknown

God. Paul does not demand that his Greek -speaking

listeners learn Hebrew first or become Jews.

He translates to them. He proclaims truth in

words and concepts that they can hopefully hear.

And again and again in history, the Spirit has

done the same, even though the church has often

resisted. unfortunately. The word spoken, not

just to them, but among them. And when that happens

and the gospel is translated, the gospel doesn't

just simply arrive, it takes root. These nativity

scenes are not mere decorations, they are testimony.

They proclaim that the word became flesh and

moved in to every neighborhood, every culture,

every people. The nativity scenes are yet another

chapter. in this rich history of gospel translation.

And just as the eternal word of God took on flesh,

the particular life of a Palestinian Jewish rabbi

named Jesus. So the body of Christ, the church,

continues today to take on and redeem the particularities

of all our cultures. Cross culture. That's our

theme this month. God's plan A. of diversity

in creation. Christ, the cornerstone upon which

all the diverse stones and bricks are built together.

And these truths are already present at the nativity

scene. And so since we're in the season of Epiphany,

we'll spend some more time at this scene. And

I hope you don't mind a little bit extra Christmas,

even in the middle of January. I will take us

on a bit of a visual tour of a few more nativities.

in a little bit but let me ground us in the three

key points we're making this morning first the

nativity is a place of wide welcome where foreigners

and the lowly find space at god's table mary

is our model of marvel and wonder she is continually

learning the fullness of who jesus is and wonder

ensures that we practice welcome without assimilation

translation into different cultures expands and

deepens our knowledge of Christ. Well, back at

the retreat center and their nativity exhibition,

the welcome sign explained. Our nativity displays

highlight the holy family in the stable, reminding

us of the blessings that flow from extending

welcome to all who arrive at our doors. Who are

these all who arrive at our doors? Friends, this

is a vital question when in some places many

immigrants are living with deep uncertainty and

fear, raising the very real question about how

wide our welcome truly is. Well, today we look

at two groups who showed up unexpectedly at the

scene, the Magi and the Shepherds. We begin with

the Magi. Matthew shows us a king in his gospel,

the king of the Jews. But he was recognized,

surprisingly, not first by insiders of that very

kingdom, but by outsiders. The Magi themselves

are foreigners. They are ethnic outsiders, cultural

outsiders, and perhaps most shockingly of all,

religious outsiders. And yet they are the ones

who see most clearly that Jesus is king. Who

were these magi? Matthew tells us they came from

the east, likely from Babylon, perhaps from Persia,

perhaps elsewhere. They were, most likely, dream

interpreters, diviners, priests, astrologers,

magicians, figures often viewed with suspicion

in Jewish and Christian circles to this day.

Like, astrologers, really? Magicians, really?

The Greek word magos carries negative connotations

elsewhere in the New Testament. It's used to

describe the false prophet or sorcerer in Acts

Acts 13 · chapter mention

chapter 13. And that's why it's absolutely remarkable

to find Matthew introducing not just foreigners,

but magi in particular, into his story without

any sign of disapproval. And yet he introduces

them without apology. If the early church wanted

to invent respectable witnesses to Jesus' birth,

then magi are the last group of people they would

have chosen. But by placing magi at the nativity,

Matthew challenges us to be careful what we assume

of those not like us. Some magos may indeed be

charlatans or worse, but others are genuine seekers.

and surprisingly, sources of spiritual truth.

Now, how did they come to know these truths about

this baby? How did they know about this king

who was to be born near Jerusalem? Well, they

knew from a star, from stars that they had been

studying. In other words, they knew who this

baby was from out of their own cultural resources.

Put a little bit more strongly, God reveals himself

to the Magi in the language they understand,

through stars and through dreams. God meets them

where they are. In my years pastoring overseas,

how many times have I heard Jesus' followers

from a Muslim background first encounter him

through a dream? I can count at least five friends

that I know personally who had this encounter,

not to mention dozens, hundreds of testimonies

occurring throughout the world that are just

like this. And for others, like C .S. Lewis,

the famous writer, who happens to be Anglican

too, by the way, it was through classical music,

the music of Wagner in particular, and Norse

mythology, that Lewis found himself... surprised

by joy, as he says in his autobiography. And

that feeling of joy, we could say, was like the

Magi star that led Lewis eventually to Jesus.

So God seems pleased to meet us right where we

are in our very own cultures. And the fact that

the Magi were at the nativity or that there are

Jesus followers from a Muslim background who

encounter him in dreams, or that C .S. Lewis,

this brilliant scholar, is a Christian, all of

these things say something very profound. God

so loved the world that he gave his only begotten

son. This baby is not just for us, for the in

crowd, those who have always been around and

had a seat at the table. This child is also a

king who reigns over all, including the outsiders,

the foreigners, and the newcomers. Now, if the

magi show us that foreigners have a place at

the table, then the shepherds show us that the

lowly do, too. Diversity and cultural diversity

isn't just about ethnic differences. It is also

about socioeconomic differences. And while the

shepherds were considered lowly in the eyes of

the dominant society, they were not at all lowly

in the eyes of God, as we shall see. So we turn

to Luke this time, and Luke is intentional here.

The shepherds were not romantic figures in the

first century at all. They lived on the margins,

economically vulnerable, socially suspect, far

from the centers of power and religious respectability.

and yet Luke places them at the very heart of

the Christmas story. Now, this actually fits

Luke's theme very well, as announced one chapter

earlier through Mary's famous song. He has brought

down rulers from their thrones, but has lifted

up the humble. And so in Luke chapter 2, the

Luke 2 · chapter mention

first people invited to see the newborn Messiah

are not the priests or the rulers or the scholars.

But they are the shepherds working the night

shift. God lifts up the humble. And yet the shepherd's

first response is fear. Now certainly it's the

fear of the supernatural, right? The sudden angelic

encounter. Who wouldn't be afraid of that? But

I suspect that there is also a deeper fear at

work with which many of us may be intimately

familiar. And I'm referring here to the fear

of rejection. Will anyone listen to me? We're

just shepherds. Do we belong in this story, really?

Do we belong at this table? But the angel speaks

directly into that fear. Do not be afraid. I

bring you good news that will cause great joy

for all the people today. in the town of david

a savior has been born to you he is the messiah

the lord now notice this while mary had some

idea of this child as the messiah and the lord

through gabriel's announcement yet luke 2 11

is the first time the title of savior is spoken

over this child in this gospel And this truth

is revealed not to the powerful, not to the well

-resourced who had access to the best commentaries,

but to the poor, to the shepherds. The shepherds

received theological truth before anyone else.

Think about that. They were not extras at the

nativity scene. This is not some shallow tokenism

that Luke is performing. No. The shepherds have

something real to bring, something important

to contribute. And when they go to Bethlehem,

they might not bring their gold or incense, but

they bring their testimony. They tell what they

have seen and heard, and scripture says that

all who heard it were amazed. Friends, at the

nativity, the vulnerable become witnesses. The

marginalized become theologians. Similarly, it

is often Christians, not from the West, but from

the global South, who bring testimony that God

is still a God who heals sickness, still a God

who delivers from evil forces, still a God who

answers prayer. And we, the church in Canada,

are invited through our sisters and brothers

to experience the power of a God who loves us

so much and cares for us in... practical and

concrete ways. The shepherds remind us that social

status does not determine spiritual insight.

God entrusts revelation to those the world frequently

overlooks. And if we want to understand the fullness

of who Jesus is, then we must make room at the

table, not only for rulers and scholars, but

for shepherds, because sometimes the clearest

gospel comes from the edges. The nativity offers

a wide welcome. And after the magi kneel and

the shepherds testify, Luke turns our attention

to Mary. And how does she respond? Not with certainty,

not with conclusions, but with a sense of wonder.

Luke tells us that everyone who heard the shepherds

was amazed. Some translations say they marveled.

But Mary does even more. She treasures up all

these things. The Greek word here suggests guarding

something from ruin, refusing to let it slip

away. She preserves these things. She ponders

them. She turns them over slowly, carefully,

prayerfully in her heart. Now, this matters because

Mary already knows a great deal. Now, a quick

aside. One of my favorite Christmas carols is

Mary, Did You Know? That classic song, beautiful

melody. But when you read Luke chapter one, you

realize pretty quickly that, yeah, Mary absolutely

knew. She heard Gabriel's announcement. She sang

her revolution song. She knows that the child

that she bears will bring down rulers and raise

up the humble. Mary knew. And yet Luke is still

clear. Mary continues to learn. She has not grasped

the full meaning of what God is doing through

her child. How could anyone? And so it is that

the shepherds bring her something genuinely new.

He is the Savior, and Mary receives it without

defensiveness. Notice her posture. Mary does

not correct the shepherds. their testimony beneath

her own angelic encounter. She does not rush

to resolve the mystery. She marvels. She wonders.

She is curious. And a few years later, as a young

lad, when Jesus does not return home right away

with mom and dad from the temple, Luke repeats

this description of Mary's posture as if to say,

This is not a momentary reaction for Mary. It

is a way of being. Mary lives with open hands

and an open heart before the work of God. She

trusts that God's truth unfolds over time. And

this is crucial for us as we think about what

it means to be a church that is not only multicultural,

but cross -cultural, centered in our diversity

upon the cross. Too much certainty tends to close

us off, but constant wonder keeps us open. Wonder

makes room for voices and insights we did not

expect. Wonder allows us to receive from foreigners,

from shepherds, from the margins, without needing

to reshape them first into our image. Mary shows

us that discipleship does not require having

everything figured out. What it does require...

is attentiveness humility patience with mystery

she teaches us that the proper response to god's

surprising work is not control but contemplation

now at the end of luke's gospel which was read

to us so beautifully today in tamil we are invited

to walk alongside two travelers who are really

confused about everything that just happened

in jerusalem now these two are not outsiders

to the story they are disciples of jesus and

yet even though they walked with him for over

three years the crucifixion was so beyond their

understanding that they could not recognize this

man who now joined them on their seven mile journey

it's bewildering and yet interestingly when this

man shows up He doesn't jump right in and say,

hey guys, it's me, it's Jesus. What does he do?

Instead, he walks them through the scriptures.

But what I really want to highlight today is

that it isn't just about an increase in the disciples'

intellectual understanding. Because when these

two travelers finally come to recognize this

co -traveler as the resurrected Jesus, Luke tells

us that their hearts, burned within them while

he talked with them. Like Mary, these two disciples

are models not of perfect understanding, but

of marvel and wonder, of hearts that burn within

with an openness to being surprised by the living

Lord. It's interesting also that Jesus was recognized

at the dinner table, at the table of hospitality.

And as I understand, you soon will be hosting

a cross -cultural meal. That's very exciting.

And so as you prepare to host and share this

meal in coming weeks, I would like to extend

a modest invitation through Mary's story and

through the story of these two disciples. If

we want to practice true welcome, a welcome without

assimilation, let us then recover wonder. Because

wonder makes space. for others to belong without

demanding sameness. And I want to equip us with

a couple of practical suggestions on how to live

with wonder in a multicultural setting. Tell

me more. Some call this appreciative inquiry.

Especially when it's your first time encountering

a new culture, it's easy for those differences

to stand out, which can quickly feel like a barrier.

But curiosity invites conversation. Tell me more

about this practice. Why is this dish so meaningful

at your table? Who taught you to cook this? Is

there a story behind this? And as they share,

lean in to what you appreciate. What common values

are expressed through this cultural practice

that at first may have looked very different?

What table traditions are similar to our own?

This requires active listening, which means listening

without interruption, so that you can say back

to the other person what they just told you in

a way that assures them that you got it. How

can we treasure up and ponder what is communicated

unless we first listen actively? Appreciative

inquiry? Active listening. These are tools that

cultivate wonder. And when we cultivate wonder,

our welcome extends wide. Now the shepherds and

magi, when they were welcomed, they affirmed

what Mary already knew about her baby, and they

expanded and deepened that knowledge. In the

Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the outcasts and

outsiders are not objects of our mission to them,

but they are agents of spiritual truth who transform

us as well. There's this interesting mutuality

that occurs. And when the gospel is translated

across different cultures, ethnic, socioeconomic,

generational, and so forth, we come to know Jesus

more faithfully as healer and as deliverer, as

savior. as king and we come to know that he is

king through the gifts that the people bring

whatever else the gold and the incense and myrrh

may signify the magi's gifts are clearly fit

for royalty the gifts tell us that he is more

than just a rabbi or even a priest but that he

is king so what do our gifts say about who Jesus

is. And this is where we'll turn back to our

nativity scenes for just another moment to see

how the Magi have been translated from culture

to culture. In this Pueblo nativity scene, the

Magi are holding gifts appropriate to Pueblo

culture, bread, corn, and chili peppers. Now,

corn is a deeply sacred symbol of life. It's

central to spiritual ceremonies. Bread represents

community, resilience, and a link to ancestors

and tradition. Chili peppers, and some of us

don't like spicy food, but it's important still

to value the fact that chili peppers speak of

identity and pride in one's culture. What might

these gifts tell us about Jesus? In this nativity

from Peru, The Magi are members of an indigenous

people, bringing gifts from the rainforest, including

a bunch of bananas, cacao bean pods, and perhaps

most strangely of all, a turtle. This seems foreign,

and yet all display a connection to the people

and to the land. What might these gifts tell

us about Jesus? Lastly, I end with this piece.

from the Philippines because its aesthetics may

feel the most unfamiliar to many of us. First

of all, the perspective is different from what

we're used to. It's a top -down nativity by the

local artist Christopher Ardenia. And there's

a lot going on here. Villagers with candles gather

around the newborn Christ on a hand -woven mat.

They stand under a parol, which is a traditional

star -shaped lantern at the top. made of bamboo

sticks meant to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem.

At the bottom, as we zoom in, the tastes and

flavors of the street market come to the crib

as vendors approach with eggplant and squash,

you see on the left, fish and balut, steamed

duck eggs. Now, the artist says that he substituted

these figures for the Magi who brought gold,

frankincense, and myrrh because he wanted to

emphasize that Jesus' birth is for the poor as

well, and that simple gifts given in love are

just as dear to Jesus as any other. In the center

is the Holy Family, and notice that Jesus wears

a necklace of animal bones. That feels strange,

too. It doesn't jive with most depictions of

Jesus that we find in Canada. But such a necklace

is a characteristic ornament of a tribal chief

in the Philippines. In other words, a ruler,

a king. What might these gifts tell us about

Jesus? There's no question, Mary's understanding

was expanded and deepened by the magi and the

shepherds. And our picture of Jesus is made deeper,

more expansive, more beautiful, and more true

when we translate the gospel and our response

to it across our various cultures. The Nativity

is a place of wide welcome where we are invited

to marvel and to wonder. The welcome we see at

the Nativity is not a welcome that erases difference.

but a welcome without assimilation, a belonging

that does not demand sameness. And so to close,

I invite you to reflect on these questions. What

presence do you bring to baby Jesus and his family?

What do your presence say about who he is to

you? What are others bringing to the table? And

what do these gifts teach you about who he is?

Thank you for listening to this week's episode

of Trinity Sermons. This sermon was recorded

at Trinity Church Streetsville in Mississauga,

Ontario on January 18th, 2026.