Rochester, MN UCC - "Seeking a Homeland" - Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
The Christian Church has nearly always placed a priority on caring for and serving strangers, and foreigners, especially those seeking refuge among us. Among the many reasons given for this priority are the rather straightforward commandments in both the Old and New Testaments- to welcome the stranger, and to love your neighbor as yourself. I believe these are commandments to be taken literally and seriously- we are to welcome the strangers and love our neighbors here in the present.
Yet I also believe that there is an even deeper reason for Christians to have empathy for immigrants and refugees. That reason is given in the 11th Chapter of Hebrews when the author is speaking of Abraham and his descendants: “They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had the opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.” The author suggests that all people of faith are strangers and foreigners on the earth. He is saying that our ultimate homeland is with God, in the heavenly city that God has prepared for us. We are merely sojourners in the world, ever seeking and striving towards that heavenly city, the homeland which God has prepared for us.
Knowing ourselves to be sojourners in this world, always striving towards the Kingdom of God which is our true home, should help us to empathize with refugees. After all these people are seeking a homeland just as we are! They are searching for peace and the good life, just as all Christians are! We pray for and give aid and welcome to refugees not only because we are commanded to do so, but also because we share their desire to find a homeland, to find peace, and the good life in God. May our meditation on God’s Word this week help us to build empathy, love, and solidarity with all those who are searching for a homeland.
Pastor Andrew Greenhaw