As Foreigners and Strangers

“We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors.” 1 Chronicles 29:15

From the top let me say this little thought has nothing directly to do with the current debate over immigration and hopefully its reform. I am not making a statement as to whether we should or should not have a barrier. These words are neither liberal nor conservative as those designations presently represent political parties. I find myself both at different times for different causes. We need an equitable immigration policy as well as secure borders so that we can continue to be a welcoming nation. I will leave the border to our government to manage, but the strangers and aliens of the world are under a higher law. They belong to God.

            I ask you to join me today to pray for the world’s refugees, especially those who are poor and who may be fleeing for their lives. I live in the most conservative section of our great country. I have grown up around people who have loved and devoted themselves to one of the cornerstones of our faith and society, the family. These men and women would tangle with a bear before they let something happen to their huddle. It threatened, they would fight; if they were hungry they would get an additional job if they could, in order to provide. And if there was a better place, one that offered safety (or school) for their children and plenty for all, they would grab their backpacks and go.

       I well remember when in the sixties the textile factories in the south went into serious decline due to international manufacturing and my mom and dad discussed moving to Australia for job opportunities. We didn’t go but would have if needed. The fact is, I don’t know any good men in my part of the world who wouldn’t cross deserts, climb mountains, or face intolerable and dangerous situations at foreign borders in order to make their family safe and secure. That is a large part of the American spirit and I pray that we don’t one day face those conditions which may force us to flee the land we love!

       I am concerned that many of those trying to come into our land have become faceless to us. We don’t recognize their faith, their love for family, or their need for safety as driving forces behind what they do. They are becoming a part of a bigger story which doesn’t match who they are. They are not all gangsters or drug mules. If they had money, they would fly in for vacation and get lost in this great country of ours, or come in for educational purposes. But they don’t, so they walk or ride in the back of trucks at risk of their lives. They are not our enemies. Please pray for them. If they cannot enter into our country pray that the violence and poverty of their countries will change so they can remain in peace. If we cannot pray, we are in danger of losing our souls.

But please remember this, “We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors.”  That is Israel’s testimony. The history of all the world is the same. It is a history of people movement. Famine, drought, flood, pestilence, repression, and sword have kept the world's population on the move throughout the years. Jesus identified with every stranger and alien as Joseph led his family down into Egypt in the face of Herod’s threats. He identified with them and with us so that we all might be incorporated into his plan of redemption.

Peter writes to the church taking note of their plight by saying, “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles… “ 1 Peter 2:10

Dear friends, as fellow foreigners and exiles, please, put a face on those with whom Jesus identified by praying for them and asking God to bless and protect them as they journey to a better place. And may God Bless the United States of America!