A word that has been on the news a lot since the election earlier this week is the word 'demographics'. Clearly demographics played a major role in the outcome. White guys voted for Mitt Romney; everyone else voted for President Obama. So now everyone is discussing what the Republican party will do to adapt to the changing demographics of twenty-first century America.

These conversations made me think of my friend, Mike - a full blodded Micmac Indian who moved to Bridgton from a reservation in Canada (after a homeless stint in Boston). I bet there was a time a few centuries ago when 'Micmac Mike's' ancestors noticed a shift in the demographics of their homeland, too. That shift didn't turn out particularily well for Mike's people. Yet now, Mike greets us Euro-Americans joyfully every Sunday when we arrive at church, is the instigating cool 'uncle' to Rose as they look for trouble to get into through the halls before service, and was our guest for Thanksgiving last year. How many Micmac ancestors are rolling over in their graves at the thought of thier descendant celebrating Thanksgiving with our very caucasion family.

While Sunday services are still called the most segregated hour in America, our church in Bridgton is perhaps Bridgton's most integrated hour. Of course, given that Bridgton is in rural western Maine, that's not a huge claim. However, given the demographics of Bridgton, this may be a legitimate one. There's  the Peurto Rican lady who comes periodically; The Jamaican family whose daughter has been one of Naomi's best friends her whole life; there's the three generations of an Egyptian family whose grandmother speaks only Arabic, but, until a recent diagnosis of cancer, has never missed a service; there's the Muslim immigrant from Sudan who has been visiting - still wearing her head covering, and not yet converted to Christianity - but who has been attending for several weeks as guests of a family-  themselves, an interracial couple.

Yes, it's Bridgton, so the vast majority of the faces are white, but everyone is made to feel welcome on Sundays when we worship collectively, and any other time during the week when the doors are open. We have a team of three sign language interpreters because for years perhaps the only deaf person in town has attended faithfully. People go out of their way to welcome visitors, and the best thing I can say about that is that it's sincere..

We don't know a lot about the details of heaven, but one thing that Scripture is clear on is that every tribe, nation and tongue will be represented.  Heaven's demographics will be the ultimate of diversity.  So let the demographics here in the USA shift.  It's merely a preview, albeit a very imperfect one, of what eternal life will be like for those who know the grace of Jesus.