If one were reading this text today, it might be a plausible presumption that this was not about Israel but about the United States of America and other nation states where aliens, strangers, and refugees were living in hostile territory.  In America, White Christian Nationalists (WCN) have profaned God’s word and message, making its current priests (political and religious representatives of the WCN) the practitioners of what we see happening to the strangers and aliens among us.  In our country, they treat those who are strangers and refugees among us — and even some of its citizens (Representative LaMonica McIver for example), setting up ICE Detention centers as if the migrants and refugees were prey, tearing at their dignity, self-esteem, and character.  They tear families apart separating mothers from their children, husbands from their wives, removing what they call unwanted refugees from the land for no other reason than they are non-white and under the current administration, unwelcome visitors in the land.  In short, they are victims — not of the will or word of God — but of the will of those who claim to speak in God’s name when God has not spoken to them.

         God’s word and the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church speak a word of compassion and mercy toward strangers (revisit Wednesday’s devotion).  We have not treated them as if they were natives among us, nor have we loved them as ourselves in every case.  And perhaps those of us who remain silent are as guilty as those who have perpetrated the crimes.  Yet, we are still called by God to act with justice.  We are still called by God to treat those who are strangers among us with compassion, as natives among us, loving them as we love ourselves

         Our Social Principles agree with God’s word.  They are not God’s word but speak in support of God’s expectation that all humanity will be honored with both love and hospitality just as God welcomes us through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

• What can we do to become more politically involved on God’s behalf to address the current issue surrounding the strangers in our land?
• What resources (human or other) to address the inhumane treatment of people who are strangers in our country?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, lead me to do what is right in Your eyes and in the eyes of those around me to show hospitality and compassion to the strangers in my midst.

         We all have the freedom to make choices for good or for evil — for justice or injustice.  To that end, we are each motivated by our personal feelings, or we — those of us who believe in God — are motivated to do what God’s Spirit determines we should do. When the choice is ours, we can be guided by our emotions, what we think is right and just, or we can be guided by a spirit  — God’s Spirit — of doing good.  It would have been easy for the king of Israel to have beaten people who were already defeated, lost, and broken.  And yet guided by the spirit of God which says, “love your enemies”, Elisha was directed to feed them and give them drink.

         When our enemies or strangers are among us, we have the choice to treat them with kindness or severity — with love or intolerance.  We have the opportunity to show them the love of God or to visit upon them our own personal defiance of their presence among us.  God tells us what we should do.  But in every situation the choice is really ours — to be obedient to God’s word or to become our own ‘god’ and do as we wish.  It takes less effort to show kindness and hospitality than it does to show revenge.  It takes less energy to do good than it does to plot evil against someone.  Showing someone God’s love, grace, and mercy has the power to change any outcome, taking evil and turning it for good.

• What would it mean for you to show someone compassion when the opportunity to hurt them was also available?
• How could showing someone unexpected mercy change their attitude about you?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, strengthen me by Your Spirit to be compassionate and show hospitality to my enemies, offering Your grace and justice instead of my anger and retribution.

         We sometimes say we don’t care what other people think of us.  And while that may mean that our decisions are not necessarily guided by how other people see us, we should always be aware that we spend our lives in three courts of justice.  There is the court of personal justice where we justify ourselves whether we are right are wrong.  There is the court of God’s justice where we are held accountable for all of our decisions whether we are right are wrong, hoping for God’s grace when we make a mistake, and hoping for God’s blessings when we do something right.  But there is also the court of public opinion.  It highlights how we look in the eyes of other people.

         When we make a decision or take some action that impacts us personally as well as the world around us, we don’t often consider those three courts.  And yet in the eyes of God, as representatives of God and Christ’s justice and mercy (2 Corinthians 5:20), our position should be one in which we allow people to see God present in us rather than exalting ourselves above God to be God (justifying ourselves).  If we act faithfully to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, then those who stand in the court of public opinion may judge us, but it will be Christ who will justify us.  When we stand in the court of our God justified by Christ, then we can be satisfied that we have done what is right, whether humanity has understood it that way or not.

• How often do you justify your actions as being right for you, yet giving no thought about how other people might see it?
• What would it mean for you to examine your decisions to act or react in view of what is right in the eyes of God?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, lead me in the paths of righteousness that my decisions — such as they are — will enable people to see that I am guided by what is right in Your eyes and not mine.