..."I was a stranger and you welcomed me."
Matthew 25:35
Even though today is a holiday I cannot let Matthew 25 go by without reflecting on it. Pray-As-You-Go invited us to ponder how we feel when Jesus tells the people they will be separated as the sheep and goats. Those who feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked will be welcomed into the kingdom with the Father's blessing. I always fear I come up short when it comes right down to it. It's hard to put ourselves on the "right" side of this reading when we are so rich as a country and live so well compared to most of the world. How are we, as a country, doing welcoming the stranger? I'm afraid we are fearing them, turning them into enemies, vilifying them, and giving them the boot. Jesus never said "Protect yourselves!" We say we are a Christian nation but we don't live that way, I'm sorry to say. We live in fear and stockpile weapons to make ourselves feel safer. But that will never make us truly free, will it? How can we think we are free at all when we fear the stranger instead of welcoming any one of God's children who comes to our shores? If we truly believe "In God We Trust," like it says on our money, we should really trust God and live like Jesus told us to live. We either love everyone or we love no one. And which did Jesus tell us to do? Love, heidi
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