City upon a Hill

As I prayed about the idea of crime in New Haven, I found myself thinking about the diversity of the city and how so many people would simply chalk the crime up to being an inevitable part of a racially and economically diverse city. But a few minutes later, the words "diversity of gifts" came to mind, which is part of a citation from the Bible:

"Men have different gifts, but it is the same Spirit who gives them.
There are different ways of serving God, but it is the same Lord who is served.
God works though different men in different ways, but it is the same God who achieves his purposes through them all. The Spirit openly makes his gift to each man, so that he may use it for the common good."
- I Corint. 12: 4-7 (J.B. Phillips translation)

What a perfect description of the true city, of Spirit's city! Each individual is a divine idea, with their own particular gift, their own way of expressing God, good. But we're all expressing the same God, we're all serving the same Spirit. These gifts can't be taken from one another, no one gift is better than another-- they are all equally perfect and direct from God. The crime is not only physical acts of violence, but the very idea that one of us is missing something or lacking in "gifts." What I loved most about this wasn't just the ideas, which were comforting to think about, but the fact that its a prayer easily made active. I can do my part to extinguish crime in my own life by not beating up, stealing away, or diminishing another person's value, and instead appreciate the value of their diverse gift. Now that would be a city set upon a hill!