One of the prayers we use in “A Celtic Prayer” is Scottish and very old, and it ends with the words:
God with me protecting
The Lord with me directing
Spirit with me strengthening
Forever and evermore
Ever and evermore
Amen
Chief of Chiefs
Amen
In New Minas, after we performed, an African gentleman came up to me and asked, “Why did you use the words ‘Chief of Chiefs’”?
I explained that in a Scottish context, it was another way of saying “Lord of Lords.” He told me that the words had brought a surge of joy to him when he heard them, because in Africa, God is also called “Chief of Chiefs.” For a few minutes when he heard those words, he felt like he was at home again.
To me, our brief conversation was a picture of God’s ideal for His church: one of unity in diversity. In Christ, all of the God-created diversity in our world is brought together in one faith, one truth, one Spirit. In a way, I think the coat Jacob gave to his favoured son Joseph–a coat of “many colours”–was a picture of the church.
And it is a beautiful thing to see 
.
