“Compassion with Our Welcome”

Deuteronomy 10:18-19 – August 20, 2017

The world today is a divided place, even here in the United States. There are so any divisions in society happening recently. Arguments, inflamed rhetoric, serious disagreements—and this is just between family members and acquaintances. Then, to escalate matters even further, many people of sincere beliefs and good conscience are finding themselves on opposite sides of serious matters, like immigration, the movement of people groups, and the safe passage of refugees and migrants.

What are we to make of such things?  More importantly, what does the Lord tell us in the Bible that we are to do about immigrants, refugees and migrants? More on this important topic, a little later in the sermon.

I also want to tell you all about the Family Peace Fest yesterday outside of the Civic Center. Frankly, I was nervous and anxious about this event. Or, more specifically, about the potential weather on the day of the Family Peace Fest.

However, God took care of all of my fears and anxiety. Yesterday was a gorgeous day, the weather couldn’t have been better, and this turned out to be a wonderful event at the Civic Center at Harrer Park on Dempster! We not only raised up peace, hope and harmony in Morton Grove and the surrounding neighborhoods, but we showed everyone who attended that our multi-ethnic, multi-cultural community could gather together, laugh, learn, and enjoy each other’s company. We also showed the Chicago area and the world that this diverse community lifts up peace as one of our most prized values.

We continue with our summer sermon series on compassion. This week, we are considering a reading from Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Hebrew scriptures. Here we are looking closely at some words of Moses to the large number of Jewish people, at the end of forty years of wandering in the Sinai desert and wilderness.

Moses also said a great many things that make a great deal of sense, especially from our Hebrew scripture reading today. From Deuteronomy 10: “Hey, people, what is it God wants from you? Just this: your reverence, your faithfulness, your love, your dedication, and for you to obey the commandments. They’re for your own good.”

Moses gave the Jewish tribes a whole lot of instructions, rules, and commands. Let’s take a close look at his commands for this people. They had strict duties and responsibilities to God and to other people. What was it Moses said again? Just this: God wants our reverence, our faithfulness, our love, our dedication, and for us to obey the commandments.

Right here is a summary statement of all of the laws, rules and commands Moses gave in Deuteronomy, the second giving of the Law. We’ve talked a few months ago about summary statements Jesus gave in the Gospels for what God wants from us, above all. Well, here is a brief summary from Moses about the exact same thing. What God wants, above all.

Going on, in our Scripture: “All the sky and all the stars belong to God, the earth and everything in it, and listen: God chose you—your people, your ancestors and your children—you! Do not cut yourself off from God; soften your heart. God is above all, but concerned for those who have nothing, caring for those who are stranded and alone, providing for them.”

What is this? Moses is now departing from a simple summary statement of what God wants from us into specific waters: Moses says God is concerned for “those who have nothing, caring for those who are stranded and alone, providing for them.”

Can you imagine some of the situations that may cause people to leave their homeland and go to a new place? We can just imagine some of the positive things. Economic opportunities, or better living conditions. Then, there are negative situations. Wars and conflict, perhaps famine or drought, earthquakes, fires, and other catastrophic events. These situations might come out of nowhere and knock people off their feet and destroy their homes.

Sometimes little is left except to migrate, to become refugees or immigrants, sometimes traveling a long, long way.

I saw a meme on the computer a few days ago. It said: “Your car is German, your vodka is Russian, your pizza is Italian. Your kebab is Turkish, your democracy is Greek, your coffee is Brazilian. Your tea is Tamil, your shirt is Indian, your oil is from Saudi Arabia. Your electronics are Chinese, your numbers are Arabic, your letters are Latin. And you complain that your neighbor is an immigrant?” [1]

As many memes do, this one uses ironic statements to get the point across. My blogging friend (and Registered Nurse) Marilyn Gardiner wrote a post just a few days ago about this very thing. Let’s hear what she has to say about this meme in her own words.

“While the meme is about things, I began to think about all the people in my life who are immigrants. As I made the list, I started to laugh. It’s unlikely I could function without them.

My doctor is from Jamaica, my surgeon is from Greece, my hairdresser is from Albania.

“I occasionally get my nails done by a woman from Vietnam; I buy fruit from a man from Albania. The advisory board members on a project that I am responsible for at work are from Syria, Iran, Algeria, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Iraq, and the Azores. A consultant who also works with the project is from Somalia. “My colleagues are from Portugal, the Azores, Brazil, Haiti, and Malawi – and that’s only a few of them.

“Daily I say hello to hotel employees from Guatemala, Haiti, and Egypt. The restaurant next to my work that sells excellent falafel and shwarma is owned by Iraqis. My friends at church are from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Lebanon. Other regular friends in my life are from Pakistan, Israel, and Iran.

“What’s more, my maternal grandfather who died many years ago is from Poland….

“Every one of these people contribute positively to their communities and to the workforce, a fact that validates what studies have shown – that immigration has a positive effect on both economic growth and productivity.” [2]

Marilyn was a missionary kid, now living in Boston. She grew up in Pakistan, going to boarding school for years in the mountains away from her parents. So, she knows well the feelings of displacement, of not being home (wherever “home” is).

Turning back to our Scripture for the morning: “God is above all, but concerned for those who have nothing, caring for those who are stranded and alone, providing for them. You, too, remember when you were immigrants, strangers in Egypt—let that memory stir compassion in you for the strangers among you.”

All of us (even Native Americans, way far back) come from somewhere else. Even if you or I were born locally, our parents, grandparents, or ancestors further back hailed from somewhere else. At some point, we or our parents or our ancestors were alone, lonely, stranded, displaced, and missing “home,” wherever their “home” was.

Here in Deuteronomy, God gives a direct command: love the immigrant, the stranger, the migrant, the refugee. Have compassion for them. Love them. Care for them. (We were once immigrants, too.) Can it be any more direct?

Let us finish this reading: “Worship only God; hang on tightly to God; praise God; know that everything wonderful you have seen, God has done.”

What wonderful words from our God. Everything wonderful that we see every day? God is the author of it. God deserves our worship and praise, every day. We are urged here to hang on tightly to God!

God hangs on tightly to all people God has created. What is more, we know the Lord cares deeply for people who are the least powerful—especially women, children, and immigrants, as our Bible reading says. Can you imagine some reasons God shows extra care for them? Who are some immigrants and refugees you know of today? People in your life, or people you’ve heard of? What are some ways we can show compassion to immigrants in our lives and our community? What comes to your mind?

We showed love, caring and compassion for all people in our community yesterday, raising up peace at Harrer Park outside of the Civic Center, at the Family Peace Fest.

How can we show compassion? Be creative! Take an action step. One genuine smile, one kind word, one loving action. These actions, taken together, can change the world, one smile at a time.

Our friendship and compassion to immigrants, strangers, refugees and migrants is such a gift. Best of all? We will be doing what God commands. Hear what God is saying to the church.

[1] https://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2017/08/07/who-are-the-immigrants-in-your-life/

[2] https://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2017/08/07/who-are-the-immigrants-in-your-life/

(A heartfelt thank you to Marilyn Gardiner and her wonderful blog “Communicating Across the Boundaries of Faith & Culture.” Thanks for your permission to make an extended quote from your blog in this week’s sermon.

Another heartfelt thank you to An Illustrated Compassion: Learning to Love Like God. Many of these sermon ideas and thoughts came directly from this series.  I appreciate this intergenerational curriculum, which is the basis for my summer sermon series on compassion. This curriculum comes from Illustrated Children’s Ministry. Thanks so much for such great ideas!)

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my regular blog for 2017: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and my other blog,  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!)