Thought for Today
Exodus 22:21 You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 10:19 You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Acts 10:14 But Peter said, "By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean." 15 The voice said to him again, a second time, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane."
“Now our understanding of when people reached the Americas—and where they came from—is expanding dramatically. The emerging picture suggests that humans may have arrived in North America at least 20,000 years ago. . . And new research raises the possibility of an intermediate settlement of hundreds or thousands of people who spread out over the wild lands stretching between North America and Asia.
The heart of that territory has long since been submerged by the Pacific Ocean, forming the present-day Bering Strait. But some 25,000 to 15,000 years ago, the strait itself and a continent-size expanse flanking it were high and dry. That vanished world is called Beringia, and the developing theory . . . is known as the Beringian Standstill hypothesis—“standstill” because generations of people migrating from the East might have settled there before moving on to North America.” (www.smithsonianmag.com)
The U.S.A. is a nation of immigrants. Some arrived earlier than others, but we are all immigrants. Periodically, our nation experiences periods of xenophobia, “the fear, hatred, or prejudice against strangers or people perceived as foreign or different from one’s community or culture.” (www.dimplypsychology.org)
Currently, the U.S.A. is experiencing an upsurge in antisemitism. Regrettably, the whole topic of antisemitism has become politicized and weaponized. Even now, in the midst of Holy Week, news reports are full of references to antisemitism. Irrespective of one’s political position, antisemitism is wrong. I find its presence among Christians especially troubling, since Jesus was a Jew, a Semite.
Certainly all who declare themselves Christian should be especially aware of our faith every day. But, during Holy Week, we should be particularly focused on our faith and the teachings of Jesus. “John 1:12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.” In the Bible, ‘all’ always means ‘all.’ Peter struggled with that idea. That verse above from Acts is part of Peter’s dream about the issue of interfacing with and accepting ‘others.’ Christians should always remember, “"What God has made clean, you must not call profane."
Jesus did not give his followers a complex, involved, intricate set of rules and regulations. What we are told can be summarized in "Luke 10:27 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself" and in “Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
The difficulty for God’s children, of course, is always in the application of such simple, direct instructions to the problem at hand. Evidently, some find fire-bombing the home of the Jewish governor of a state an act of love. Others find desecrating graves of those of another religion acts of love. I do not understand such people, especially when they self-identify as Christians.
Jesus did not preach violence. Jesus recognized that his teachings would be divisive. Jesus understood the consequences for himself and his followers of the almost radical love he preached. This week we commemorate the sequence of events that resulted from those consequences and led to Jesus’ crucifixion.
I pray that this Easter will encourage Christians throughout Christendom to focus on those 2 simple verses about love and spreading the gospel. The Christian faith is not about politics; it is not about dividing people along ethnic, racial or cultural demarcations. Christianity is about loving each other. Christianity is about coming to know that we are all children of God. Those of us who know and accept God’s love have an obligation to share our knowledge and acceptance with all the rest. We cannot accomplish that through hate or violence.
Stay safe, share God’s love, trust God,
Pastor Ray