Strangers and Foriengers

Scripture: Hebrews 11:13-16

¹³ These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. ¹⁴ For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Devotion:

            Immigration has been all over the news lately. So, I thought it would be an appropriate time to share the immigration story of the Haselton family. It begins in England in 1648 when England decided that Puritanism was illegal and sought to shut down churches. Two brothers David and John Hazeltine (That was how they spelled it back then but that is another story altogether.) They were both farmers and Puritans and they were dismayed by their countries new law. Their Pastor Ezekiel Rogers organized a approximately 20 families of the church and decided to head to the ‘new world’.

            John and David and their families boarded a boat to make the perilous journey to America. Desperate to find a place where they could practice their religion without fear. When the boat pulled up to what is now the Massachusetts shore there was no ICE or Boarder Patrol. There was also no place to get food, no warm beds, no place to call home. They had to build everything from square one. But they persevered and settled in a place now known as Rowley Massachusetts.

            These families in truth died in faith. They were not interested in harming anyone in anyway. They just wanted to be left alone to till the land and worship God in whom they had placed their lives. What can we learn from their experience that can be applied to todays situation at our southern border?

            First, we owe these strangers compassionate care. We need to build acceptable shelters for the families We should treat them as we would like to be treated. That means proper housing, proper supervision for unaccompanied minors, and proper medical care. We need to set generous limits on the numbers of people who come seeking asylum.

            Second, we need to keep families together as much as possible. It would be a horrible crime for the government to take our families away from us without a trial or some kind of due process.

            Finally, we need to set up a time frame to accomplish these things. We can send folks to the moon or the space station truly we ought to be able to house even a record number of immigrants in proper accommodation. We simply don’t have the space to do this today but we can begin to establish better and better accommodations for these pilgrims looking for a better life.

Prayer:

Dear God, help us help these people who come to our nation seeking a better life. Let us give thanks for the people who came to this country before us and extend a welcoming hand to those who need our help. Make this nation a beacon of hope for the world.