Losers: Foreigners & Immigrants
The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 19:34 (NKJV)
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…
Hebrews 13:2 (ESV)
Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me… ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
Matthew 25:41-45 (ESV)
When I remarried a few years ago (to a Christian Canadian senior), I learned first-hand about immigration… in what might be thought the “easiest” path.
Geographically, I moved “next door.”
I spoke the language and knew the culture.
I didn’t need government assistance.
My past was quickly “discoverable.”
Nevertheless, it was a HARD process: expensive, lengthy, and complicated. I realized how much harder it was for refugees with none of what I had: no cash, no homes, no jobs, no open arms.
The world now waves flags of nationalism, and America is no exception. Our Statue of Liberty’s “welcome words” NO LONGER FLY in the land of the free.*
I don’t want to dive into politics. (The Bible orders us NOT to do that in many inarguable verses.) Without a doubt, it causes divisions and continually engenders strife.
Actors, models, and talent for Christ:
You and I ARE Christians, and God is clear. In both Testaments, without exception, we’re called to be kind and welcome strangers.
If we BELIEVE God provides and protects, if we BELIEVE His Word is right and true, then we must not join hate and fear parades.
As His performers and ambassadors, you’re His Good News welcoming committee!
P.S. Two of the three named foremothers in the lineage of Jesus were foreigners & immigrants to Israel and/or the Jews. Ruth, a Moabitess, and Rahab, a harlot, from Jericho. Obviously, God practices what He preaches.
Losers: Foreigners & Immigrants (Part 18)
* “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
* "The New Colossus" is a sonnet by American poet Emma Lazarus (1849–1887). She wrote the poem in 1883 to raise money for the construction of a pedestal for the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World). In 1903, the poem was cast onto a bronze plaque and mounted inside the pedestal's lower level (Wikipedia).
NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players.’ Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.