Tag: care

The Immigrant

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment

“The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you.” (Exodus 12:49)

“Pursue hospitality to strangers.” (Romans 12:13)

“The respect for the stranger and the sanctification of the name of the Eternal are strangely equivalent.” Emmanuel Levinas

For the past decade or more, I’ve been asked many times about “God’s design” for marriage, gender roles, and a whole host of societal questions. There is one question, however, that I have never been asked: What is God’s design concerning immigration?

I reframe the question a bit differently with a few clarifying questions:

  • When it comes to immigration and immigrants, what is God’s intention for a rightly ordered society?
  • How does God feel about the immigrant?
  • Is there a biblical framework for approaching the subject of immigration?

Indeed, there is. In fact, there are several words for the immigrant in the Old Testament. There are references to both Jewish and foreign immigration; “strangers” who are foreign immigrants living in the land of Israel; and foreign workers (migrants) who sojourn in and through the land.

Most English translations of Holy Scripture use the words “alien,” “stranger,” or “foreigner” when speaking of immigration. When it comes to the foreigner who settles in Israel, the general rule and stance toward that immigrant is to welcome the stranger among you; and treat them as equals in approaching to the law.

The ancient Hebrew people were foreigners in the land of Egypt for 400 years. God’s judgment on Pharaoh and the Egyptians brought the opportunity for  justice amongst the Israelites. The Jews were delivered from their bondage and oppression.

Because of their redemption out of Egypt, the Israelites formed an identity that included ethical treatment to foreigners who came and resided among them.

Since the Israelites had been immigrants to Egypt, they were to welcome the immigrant among themselves and treat foreigners with respect, since all of them together were under the law.

It was important for the Jewish people to take a stance of empathy toward the immigrant. They knew firsthand what it felt like to suffer in a foreign land. Therefore they were to see life through the eyes of the other – the migrant, the refugee, and the asylum seeker – who resided next to them.

Early in the Bible, Abraham was commanded by God to leave his country and immigrate to a foreign land:

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1, NIV).

Because God loves the immigrant, so too, we are to love them, as well:

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:17-19, NIV)

Furthermore, because the Lord is a just God, we are to provide justice not only for our own people, but also for the foreign immigrant among us:

“Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” (Exodus 22:21, NIV)

Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice… Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this. (Deuteronomy 24:17-18, NIV)

Holy Scripture is replete with admonitions and commands to protect the foreign immigrant and be mindful about their well-being. They, like us, are humans created in the image of God, and therefore, deserve to be honored as fellow image-bearers by treating them justly.

The New Testament upholds and extends basic concern and consciousness to the foreigner:

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2, NRSV)

In the Gospels, let’s be mindful that the Lord Jesus himself was an immigrant – a refugee fleeing to Egypt from oppression in his homeland. (Matthew 2:13-15)

Jesus existentially knew what it was like to be a foreigner. And so, in keeping with his Jewish upbringing, he respected the alien and stranger around him. In order to demonstrate his concern and commitment toward the stranger, he told several parables.

The following parable of Jesus describes what a rightly ordered society looks like when it comes to the foreigner among us:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on his royal throne. The people of all nations will be brought before him, and he will separate them, as shepherds separate their sheep from their goats.

He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, “My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created. When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.”

Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, “When did we give you something to eat or drink? When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear or visit you while you were sick or in jail?”

The king will answer, “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.”

Then the king will say to those on his left, “Get away from me! You are under God’s curse. Go into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels! I was hungry, but you did not give me anything to eat, and I was thirsty, but you did not give me anything to drink. I was a stranger, but you did not welcome me, and I was naked, but you did not give me any clothes to wear. I was sick and in jail, but you did not take care of me.”

Then the people will ask, “Lord, when did we fail to help you when you were hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in jail?”

The king will say to them, “Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me.”

Then Jesus said, “Those people will be punished forever. But the ones who pleased God will have eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46, CEV)

According to Jesus, the current Trump administration – especially the Department of Homeland Security under Kristi Noem – has been pursuing a policy that is in direct opposition to basic biblical ethics and morality.

What’s more, believers who support such a policy are demonstrating, at the least, ignorance concerning the Scriptures; and, at worst, a concern about following President Trump rather than following the Lord Jesus.

Someday, the Trump administration will have to give an account of their attitudes, words, and actions toward the immigrant foreigner in America to the God who loves the alien and the stranger.

In the end, grace and love always wins.

The God of Holy Scripture has already communicated a positive stance toward the immigrants among us.

God has said that immigrants are not monsters from sh** countries. They are humans who were brave enough to make dangerous journeys to the United States in order to support themselves and their families with the hope of liberation from oppression; and the freedom to provide for themselves and to support their new country.

A well-ordered society with a biblically ethical design includes caring for all residents, not just some. The immigrant – no matter where they are from – has landed among us by the providence of God.

So, let’s not make it any worse for them here than where they’ve come from. Instead, let us be helpful to the foreign immigrant among us. It’s what Jesus has already said he would do.

Blessings or Woes?

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment
The Sermon on the Mount, by Miki de Goodaboom

There are many persons who currently feel angry and powerless in the face of recent and contemporary political events. All of this has large implications, especially for workers.

I admit to being one who is frustrated and saddened by the U.S. government’s unwillingness and inability to simply care about all of its citizens (as well as the citizens of the world). Along with their spirit of the age, they are failing to ensure the common good of everyone.

What’s more, there are large swaths of American Christianity who are either complicit or actively involved in establishing and perpetuating a system of governance which is fundamentally out of sync with biblical norms.

The Church and the Christian have a responsibility and a call, based in the words and ways of Jesus, of whom we purport to follow. In some of the first words uttered to his disciples, establishing what is of upmost importance for us to know, Jesus said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
“Blessed are you who are hungry now,
    for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh…

“But woe to you who are rich,
    for you have received your consolation.
“Woe to you who are full now,
    for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now,
    for you will mourn and weep.” (Luke 6:20-21, 24-25, NRSV)

Jesus was building and upholding an alternative kingdom to the political systems of the time. Christ came to this earth to set things right amidst a corrupt world whose authority was held in the hands of evil.

But change would not come through the typical means of worldly power such as coups, revolutions, or economic exploitation of some persons over others.

For those who feel helpless and without power, Christ brings a liberation which transcends all other powers and authorities. He brings blessing.

What this means for those who are enamored with worldly aspects of power (money, wealth, resources, political authority, etc.) the words and actions of Jesus brings woe.

An evil grip of the world cannot be loosened with practices and responses of hate, class warfare, verbal and physical violence, and economic takeovers. For those with spiritual eyes to see, and ears to hear, the sandy and shifting foundations of this present government administration are being, and will be, washed away. (Luke 6:49)

It’s important that people of faith participate with what is good, right, and just – that they are concerned with the public good of everyone; and are attuned to a social and economic vision for humanity that is concerned for all citizens, and not just some or a few of them.

For the past few hundred years, much of the church has made spiritual deliverance and socio-economic freedom a matter of only the individual. As long as one embraces a personal salvation in Christ, well then, all is well, right!?

Wrong. Holy Scripture is filled with concerns for the whole of humanity because of the exploitive powers of this world. We have stories in the Bible replete with such powers as the Pharaoh who enslaved and exploited workers for his and Egypt’s own wealth, power, and benefit.

Jesus came not to the religious leaders and the kings of the earth, but instead made it his purpose to spend time amongst the least in society, those for whom the rich and powerful had no inclination to pay attention to and help.

“We have for much too long settled for a gospel of private other-worldly possibility.”

Walter Brueggemann

Even amongst God’s own ancient people, King Solomon built an empire on the driving force of both slavery and cheap labor, exploiting a large class of persons in order to feed the behemoth of structural wealth.

Economic systems which exploit workers do it so that they can maintain cheap labor. They seek to keep those persons invisible and outside of any safety net of security which might cost the system money.

Unfortunately, there are extremely rich persons who rely upon workers remaining on the underbelly of their companies and of society. Embracing unrestrained individualism and unbridled capitalistic practices make for a permanent class of exploited workers who remain poor on purpose by those wishing them to remain there.

Such extremely rich individuals become political players only because of their wealth. They know little about statecraft and how a politics concerned for the common good really works. And, frankly, they don’t seem to care.

I bring up these things because many Christians have been complicit in the injustice and exploitation; and because many churches and church leaders try to operate like the super-rich, instead of trying to follow the words and ways of the Lord Jesus, whom they purport to follow.

The Apostle James minced no words in addressing the rich within the church:

Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure during the last days. Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you. (James 5:1-6, NRSV)

Meanwhile, the poor and exploited are suffering. Christians are not to kiss-up to those in power, nor try to be like them. And, for God’s sake, we are never to get into the game of systemic evil, like those who mistreat us.

Instead, we learn to practice patience and endurance in the face of suffering, while we work toward a better society. We strengthen one another’s hearts through faith. We do not grumble and turn against each other, like a pack of wild dogs, but pray continually and practice forgiveness, so that we can be compassionate and merciful.

Since we are all connected on this planet, any time an individual shows unmitigated kindness toward another, chooses to love the enemy, expresses gratitude, or offers sincere forgiveness to someone who doesn’t deserve it, we shift the balance of the world back toward the axis of grace.

Unless we all work together to embrace our collective poverty of spirit and acknowledge our grinding emotions (and sit with them), we will eventually go the way of the already condemned who spend, eat, and laugh with sinister abandon.

Life is not a 100 meter sprint; life is a marathon. We are in the long haul of life, and do not live for the pleasures of the moment. So then, let us live up to who we are in Christ, created in the image and likeness of God, and possessing divine light and living water which will nourish us through our time of need.

For humanity does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. I, for one, want to be blessed by Jesus, and not experience a woe from him. That means paying attention to the people and the matters of importance to Christ.

‘Tis the Season For Praise (Psalm 148)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
By Stushie Art

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
    praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
    praise him, all his host!

Praise him, sun and moon;
    praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens
    and you waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for he commanded and they were created.
He established them forever and ever;
    he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
    you sea monsters and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and frost,
    stormy wind fulfilling his command!

Mountains and all hills,
    fruit trees and all cedars!
Wild animals and all cattle,
    creeping things and flying birds!

Kings of the earth and all peoples,
    princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
    old and young together!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for his name alone is exalted;
    his glory is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
    praise for all his faithful,
    for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord! (New Revised Standard Version)

By Bible Art

God is sovereign – which means that the Lord has complete power, dominion, and authority over everything that exists. God has supremacy because the Lord is the Creator God, the One who brought all things into existence.

Ideally, God and all creation exist harmoniously together. People coexist with God and recognize the Lord’s sovereignty through offering praise, adoration, and thanksgiving to the Lord.

That is what today’s psalm calls us to do, especially in this season of Christmastide. Christians are to offer their praise to God, despite whatever circumstances may be happening in their lives, and around them.

The psalmist was not telling people to simply forget their sorrows. He was exhorting everyone, including all creation, to praise the Lord in the middle of their distress.

When Christ was born, circumstances were not good for the Jews in Judea. Roman occupation had a firm authoritative hold upon them. Throughout their history, Jews have been often marginalized and oppressed. They know what suffering is.

Even though Christianity is a sizable world religion, Christians in many parts of the world today experience ostracization and discrimination. Christians everywhere are not immune to world events with situations like dictators, disasters, and diseases.

Yet, there is always an opportunity for praise to God. And the psalmist summons the faithful to do so. Praise and adoration of God shape us and form us spiritually, so that, even if we do not feel like doing it, the very act of offering the praise trains our spirits to bend in a good direction.

We could simply give-in to the status quo of things through constant complaining; or keep offering our woes. But that doesn’t negate the importance of praise.

Today we have the opportunity (and responsibility) to praise God for the incarnation of Christ. To remember that God loved us enough to become one of us. To adore the Christ child, and choose to give thanks, even though there might be oppression all around us.

We can celebrate, along with all creation, the nature of God and the Lord’s good purposes for humanity and all the earth. Adverse situations may stop us from many things we want to do, yet no circumstance can ever prevent us from praising God for divine attributes and divine sovereignty.

All of creation praises God by being exactly what God created it to be. A tree doesn’t try and be a star in the sky. It simply takes root and grows, branching out and becoming a haven for many creatures. Squirrels do what squirrels do, just like flowers, rocks, wind and weather do what they do.

It’s us people who tend to go rogue and try to be something or someone we’re not.

We can best praise God by living as God created us to live. We were designed to live in a divine/human cooperation of caring for all creation. We best exist alongside God by being good stewards of all that God has given to us – including the earth, our families and neighborhoods, and especially ourselves.

Praise is the job description of everything which exists. We will do that well as we honor our mandate to care, and not to harm; to serve others, and not be self-serving.

All things are connected on this planet. The ecosystems of the earth, and the economies of people, are all meant to live in harmony with each other, so that all of creation is blessed.

You and I have a sacred trust of relating well with each other, and everything around us.

The human condition is one of ongoing ups and downs. We experience a full range of tragedy, division, and hardship; along with joy, wonder, and happiness. In all things, no matter what, we are called to praise the Lord.

Each of us needs to find that place and that way of orienting and reorienting ourselves to what is important and why we are here.

For me, that happens whenever I hug my dear wife. Sometimes, I even go out in my backyard and hug my oak tree. The very act of hugging helps ground me to what is here and real, what is important and necessary.

If we can but touch one another, not just literally, but with well-placed words and helpful actions, then we can recall why harmony with all things is so important.

I’m in no way saying this is easy. It isn’t. There are many days when either the world seems as if it is a big collective ball of grumpy; or you yourself can hardly do the barest of responsibilities.

Yet, we can still find a way to praise, to be grateful, to offer what little care there may be to give.

Because it’s not so much about the amount of what we do, but rather how we are able to do it. A smidge of something done with love is infinitely better than lots of accomplishment without any care behind it.

The holidays are some of the hardest days for some folks. Christmas and the New Year are associated with grief for various reasons. It can bring isolation, not connection. The last thing such a person may want to do is praise the Lord, especially with a community of folks. And yet, that may just be the best activity.

There is no one-dimensional way of praising God; our offerings to the Lord can be multi-faceted. It can be achieved according to what we have to offer, and why we are offering it. It will not look the same for everyone.

Whatever you really need to do for an offering of praise this year, then do it. It’s okay if it’s a bit avant-garde, or off the beaten path. You are, after all, talking to a guy who hugs trees, for God’s sake.

Maybe this is the time to re-establish an old tradition that has fallen by the wayside. It could be the right opportunity to pick up that old musical instrument or to stretch your voice in singing again.

The exhortation we have from the psalmist is to praise. How you go about it, is up to you, my friend.

May almighty God, who sent his Son to take our nature upon him, encourage you in this holy season, scatter the darkness of sin, and brighten your heart with the light of his holiness. And may the blessing of God – Father, Son, and Spirit – be upon you and remain with you forever. Amen.

Caring For the Aged (1 Timothy 5:1-8)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Exploring Church Ministry Blog, Year BLeave a comment

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 

The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (New International Version)

Timothy was the young Pastor of the Church in Ephesus, having been appointed by his mentor, the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote to his protégé in order to clarify and remind Timothy of how to go about his ministerial duties amongst the congregation.

In dealing with older persons, Paul instructed that they must not be dealt with harshly. There needs to be gentleness and moderation in correcting any faults with elders. Old folks already take quite enough medicine they don’t like. No one, especially some whipper-snapper, ought to come along and add some bitter medicine to their regimen.

Instead, provide exhortation which is tolerable, and evidences genuine concern and humility. Make it good medicine.

Timothy was not to allow the older folks to get away with being stinkers. And the way to handle this is by being respectful, considerate, and gentle.

Since the Body of Christ is a family, older men need to be treated as fathers, and older women as mothers. The younger women, too, must be corrected, when necessary. Although it is a delicate task, it needs to be engaged with the same care as the older men.

If Timothy thought about his ministry with people as dealing with his own mother, then he would do it with a great deal of love, humility, grace, and wisdom. Not only is the message to be conveyed; the spirit behind the message is just as important.

Younger women are to be treated as sisters; and young men as brothers. The way everyone is handled is significant. All persons, without exception, need love and attention.

The Apostle pointed out that there are certain groups of people which require special attention. Therefore, distressed widows need to be honored and treated with high regard.

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
    is God in his holy dwelling. (Psalm 68:5, NIV)

Widows are identified in Scripture as those who are under the special care of God. So, how we treat them, is how we are treating God.

Any widow in the church who had no little to no support were to be provided for by the church. In the earliest church, this was important enough to warrant the creating of a new church ministry of deacons. (Acts 6:1-6)

Those widows who have children and/or grandchildren are to be first and foremost cared for by their family. Paul was unequivocable on this point. He insisted that a family with needy members, such as widows, are to put their religion into practice by ensuring that their mother or grandmother or aunt or any widow in the family is given what they need to live.

The Apostle’s directive to Timothy is that the church must not be unnecessarily burdened. Paul’s larger concern, however, was that adult children should honor their parents. That is their first religious duty as Christians. They ought to make a real and substantial effort toward mom and dad by providing for them in their old age, when they need it.

“It is easier for one poor father to bring up ten children, than it is for ten rich children to provide for one poor father.”

Dutch proverb

The provision for needy parents is to be done with a spirit of gratitude, love, and appreciation. I understand that this admonition gets rather dicey when it comes to adult children who were raised by a mother or father who was, at best, a stinker, and at worst, downright mean or abusive.

Yet, the wise Christian will learn to find ways toward returning a curse with a blessing, and so, honors both the parent and God. This in no way requires ignoring one’s own needs; it just means that we will strive to discover how to honor and provide for an aged mom or dad.

Having said that, there is a wide difference between the widow who puts her trust in God, and the widow who lives frivolously with no concern for God or others. The pious widow with no family must be cared for by the church. And the dissolute widow is not to be treated the same. The church, as well as the family, will need to be creative in how to approach such widows.

Each case within both the church and the family needs to be considered on its own merits. There is not necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach in every situation with a needy person. The following verses are helpful for us, as we consider how to assist:

Jesus said to his disciples,

 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34, NIV)

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12, NIV)

And the Apostle Paul said to the Church in Galatia,

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2, NIV)

Whatever we do, or not do, we are not to neglect needy persons in our family or faith community. To reject or deny such persons is tantamount to rejecting one’s Christian faith.

Let us strive for both duty and delight in caring for the needy amongst us. Both are important. Sheer duty without delight is mere drudgery; it cannot be sustained. And only delight without any duty is irresponsible; it is also unsustainable.

May God’s provision and blessing be with you, as you strive to honor both your biological family, and your spiritual family. Amen.