God's Love for "Those People"

Click Here to Listen to the Sunday, February 13, 2011 Sermon by Pastor Rodger S. Loar

Click Here to Watch the Dramatic Monologue on Ruth 2 by Erin Paige

Scripture Reference:  Ruth 2 and Leviticus 19

God's Love for "Those People"

Those people.  Them.  You know who I’m talking about.  They're different.

They look different from us.

They speak differently.

They don’t think like us.

They eat different food.

They have weird rituals and traditions.

You know…..  Those people.

Ruth was one of those people, she came from Moab to Israel.  Moab was across the Dead Sea.  It was the other side.  Them.  They.  Those People.  Ruth had to travel miles up around the Dead Sea and cross the Jordan River to get to Bethelehem. 

Ruth stood out and people noticed her as ‘That Moabite.’  In today’s terms, she would be an illegal immigrant.  Now, borders and immigration laws were different then, but racism was the same then as today.

God’s people, the Jews, were often very discriminatory.  It’s hard not to be when you know that you are chosen by God.  You start to think of yourself as better than others and you start treating others that way. 

Except, that’s now what God expects of them (or us).  Throughout the Old Testament, God tells the people to remember that they were once foreigners in Egypt and that because of that, they should treat the foreigners that travel through their lands a little better.  He commanded the Jews to leave the edges of their fields unharvested so there would always be food for the poor and the traveler.  He commanded them to allow the foreigner to rest on the Sabbath, right along with the native born.  He commanded the Jews to treat the foreigners fairly in court and not take advantage of them in the workplace.

Let’s be honest here: the Jews didn’t always follow God’s commands, and neither do we, today.

Most people know the famous Bible verse John 3:16:  For God so loved the world, He sent His only begotten son. That whoever believes in him shall not perish.  God so loved the world.  That’s everyone, not just a select few.  The world isn’t divided into ‘us’ and ‘them.’  God loves all people, and that includes the illegal immigrant. 

In my sermon, I mention two people, a man who had signs against illegal immigration painted on his truck and another man who suggested that we station snipers on the border to kill anyone coming across.  In addition to the angry signs on his truck concerning ‘illegals,’ the truck man also had bumperstickers for a local Christian radio station and a local church.  The man who suggested shooting people was a man that I knew to periodically attend a church.  I don’t know the real religious status of either of these guys, but I do know they have taken the compassion for human beings that God calls us to and lost it to angry rhetoric.

I don’t like the word ‘illegal.’  Actions are illegal, not people.  Referring to people as things dehumanizes them.  Then, people become a problem.  And, you deal with problems by solving them as expediently and efficiently as possible.  Thus, ridiculous ideas like rounding up millions of people and dumping them across the border or shooting women and children as they cross the border suddenly begin to sound reasonable.

God calls us to have compassion, to love people, to be gentle, and to be kind.  

Yes, we must be good stewards of our resources, but let’s be honest here, we are the richest nation in the world and we have money, resources, and jobs to spare most of the time.  It’s far too easy for us as citizens of the United States to think we are special.  We won the cosmic lottery by being born in this land.  It’s something to rejoice in, because just about anywhere else would be worse (despite our incessant bellyaching).  When God blesses you, it isn’t for you to keep it for yourself: God blesses you to bless others.

Yes, we must protect ourselves from terrorists and those who hate us just because we exist and don’t believe the way they do.  But, we can accomplish that in reasonable ways without turning into the same kind of monsters that hate us. 

As Christians, believers in God, we must remember compassion and gentleness.  It is not wrong to provide water for the thirsty, food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, clothing for the naked, and company for the lonely.  In fact, we are called to it.

Whatever side of the immigration issue that we fall on, we must remember to keep an open and compassionate heart for those who are suffering , the needy, and for those who endure conditions beyond what most of us could even imagine.

I’m pretty sure that Jesus would be ministering among those who are crossing the border illegally.

When this debate heats up again, and it will, are you going to add to the heat and anger, or will you take the gentle approach of love?

Will you support practical solutions that provide good stewardship and protect our borders while offering realistic options for legal immigration and guest workers?

Will you prayerfully remember the people of both sides whom God loves equally?

And, when the time comes that everyone is yelling about this issue again, will you be an example of gentleness and love, as every Christian is called to?

Practical Applications:

• Begin learning another language or study another culture.  
• Visit ethnic restaurants and engage someone in conversation that you might not normally speak to.
• Listen to others with an open heart and thinking brain.
• Look for someone at church or workplace who looks different from you – get to know them.