Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, (Ephesians 2:19 NIV)
I will never forget moving from Canada to South Florida at the age of 10. It was truly a different world! I left behind a landscape of snow and rocky, frozen lakes to a land of palm trees and warm ocean waters with soft, sandy beaches. Even though, technically, we all spoke English, there was still a large language barrier when you consider the strong differences in accent and the different kindsof colloquialisms used. Schools were vastly different.... teaching methods, student behavior, discipline methods... all very alien to me.
Even though I looked like any other American and quickly learned the "language" it took a very long time to truly fit in. I had to make new friends. I had to figure out how to learn in much noisier, comparatively chaotic classrooms. I had to learn how to stay cool in the hot, muggy summers. I had to learn to hear the word "pen" when it truly sounded like "pin" as well as an abundance of new phrases I had never heard. I was singled out for being different on many occasions, even by teachers who were using me as a positive example; but a 10-year-old who is trying desperately to fit in, doesn't want to be singled out, even in a positive way!
As citizens of the Christian faith, we all come from many different walks of life. Rich to poor, highly educated to barely educated, differing political beliefs, and vastly different life experiences. Even as a Christian family, we focus on different parts of our faith in different ways. But the most important things is where our commonalities lie and it is in those things that we become fellow citizens.
Our most basic beliefs... Father, Son and Holy Spirit centered on Christ's death and resurrection bind us as one people of a very special Nation. But we must always leave our borders open! We must continue to welcome the curious stranger and teach them our ways... which should always be ways of love and grace and forgiveness. We must continually encourage the aliens in our midst to become citizens.
No stranger is too strange and no alien too alien. God wants us to reach out to the world and show them their true home.
Father,
Thank you for your "open door policy" of immigration into your wonderful kingdom. Keep us from from trying to close the borders when someone seems "too strange." Give us open, welcoming hearts. Amen.
Joys: Coming home to a houseful of family after work yesterday; plans for celebrating Kevin's birthday tonight; remembering those first Florida friends who were willing to befriend that strange Canadian girl.
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