Living Life Forward
Good Morning Friends,
So much of Southwest Florida is caught up in the migration of people. We are a migratory species among other migratory species. From snowbirds and real birds, to farmworkers and tourists we are a flow of moving creatures that has been part of history from the start. And, of course, knowing our past is important for understanding, but today, we look beyond our broken immigration system and stories of the Mayflower and Moses seeking the promised land of Abraham to the reality of where this all is taking us. For today we welcome a future of faith that is Living Life Forward.
Scripture: “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 19:33-34 (ESV)
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Genesis 12:1-3 (NIV)
But Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
Ruth 1:16 (NRSV)
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
Matthew 25:35 (ESV)
Message: Reading the Bible through the lens of a migration story really gives us an interesting perspective that is so central to the human experience. It is after all the story of the uprooted People of God seeking safety, sanctuary and refuge but it is also the story of globalization and the migration of people around the world. It is the story of strangers in a strange land moving away from what they fear and toward a dream of a place of welcome. It is a story that begins in a garden and ends in a city. It is the story of Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Ruth, Jesus, Joseph and Mary, Peter and Paul finding themselves on the move. Sometimes they are fleeing and sometimes seeking but always looking for a better life that witnesses the migration of God into our hearts. Time and time again it is a story about the living God giving directions and assistance. Now looking to the future what can we expect? Friends, we are still going to be very diverse but make no mistake, East is moving West and North is moving South as if giant magnates are shifting our poles and politics. Friends, 70 % of the world’s poor are in rural settings around the globe and they are moving to a city near you. The world is moving to your doorstep. Oh there will be gated communities and high-rise communities to buffer but I do not think we can avoid the reality. The Bible suggest that we might just try to make it better if we are capable of love. And the only way for that to happen is for God to migrate into our hearts.
Pray we experience God migrating into our hearts. Pray we not fear the migration and are not forcibly uprooted. Pray we have a vision of a heavenly city that is also a garden. Pray the world’s rural poor are prepared for the journey. Pray we welcome strangers as we would welcome Christ. Pray we not live in the past with the future already here. Pray we realize that the change of self is more important than a change of scenery. Pray we in time migrate back to God in a journey of joy. Pray God welcomes us back home.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 