Friend, I'll be there for you.......accept one another

For eleven years, one of the highest rated shows on television was the series "Cheers."  I think one of the reasons for the show's popularity had something to do with its ability to tap into a deep human longing for community.  The series showed people who care about each other,  people who shared an emotional bond, who accepted one another in spite of human frailties, failings and idiosyncrasies.  Take a look at the theme song:
Cheers
Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you’ve got;
Taking a break from all your worries
 Sure would help a lot.
Wouldn’t you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they’re always glad you came;
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name.

Friends
I’ll be there for you (when the rain starts to pour)
I’ll be there for you (like I’ve been there before)
I’ll be there for you (’cause you’re there for me too)

Apart from God, we define ourselves horizontally--by the ways in which we are different from other humans. The problem with defining ourselves in this way is that inevitably it will draw us to those who are like us and alienate us from those who are different from us.  The Bible offers us a better way of self-definition; it is found in a vertical identity, where our Creator assigns and reveals to us who we are in relationship with Him.  In Christ, our basis for acceptance for ourselves and with one another is not our race, sex, language, socioeconomic status, intelligence, popularity, or good looks.  As we travel to Uganda this summer, it is our desire to share with our brothers and sisters there the unconditional acceptance of Jesus Christ. We hope that when we leave, we will know some of their names, and that they will be glad we came.