Before my trip to Africa several years ago I took a one week course on how to separate culture from our faith, and how to recognize how another's culture makes it difficult for them to comprehend our faith as we express it. It is difficult for them to comprehend our faith even when we have removed the cultural overlays; it is absolutely impossible when we leave them in. I have spent much of the last three weeks preparing to teach and preach in Burma, removing Eurocentric theology and American culture from my preaching and teaching materials.

Sermon examples about stress at the office and the pressures of consumerism would have no meaning in Burma. Such examples would alienate them from the fundamental messages of the faith. Their stress relates to the loss of children because of inadequate medical facilities and scarcity of medicine. Since their average wage is equal to about $5 a month, I would unnecessarily offend if I spoke of the difficulty of getting contractors to bid on home repair projects because there is so much work out there for contractors. All of this stripping away of the culture is a deeply spiritual experience. Without the cultural clutter, I am able to reaffirm what is important:

• Without God at the center, life is empty and meaningless



• Service to God is the highest form of human endeavor and brings the deepest fulfillment



• The only escape from self centeredness is sacrificial giving



• When we hate any human being or any group of human beings we distance ourselves from our Creator



• The answer to every single life problem can be found in the scripture, but too many of us are biblically illiterate



• Our faith communities are our hope and our future



• Jesus Christ is the son of God and our Savior

Dear God, help me to strip away my cultural overlays, so that I may clearly see what is important, and thus most effectively share your messages of faith to people of other cultures. Amen.