alien or neighbor?

After reading Christians at the Borders and talking with Sarah and Carlos (a married couple living in America, she happens to be a natural-born American citizen and he is in the process of attaining American citizenship) about the process of immigration currently, I cannot help but ask myself, "What am I doing about it?"   The answer: Nothing.   For years, I sat in classrooms filled with immigrant children and befriended them, but kept our friendship at a distance. I never once invited them over to eat dinner. I probably made up excuses like, "Their parents probably wouldn't let them come any way." or "They might not like the food." I never once invited them to church with me for fear of my church offending them or maybe it was to keep my church comfortably white. Either way, I am disgusted with my past apathy to others around me from different cultures.   One thing is for certain, I cannot go back to it. The apathy. The passing by. The elitist mindset. I will not.   How could our country built on beautiful, Christian foundational freedoms be the very thing keeping our neighbors from having the freedom to dwell among us. Should everyone be able to come to America? No. However, I do believe it is our responsibility as believers to be the ones who are hospitable to the outsiders. God can reach past language barriers. I've seen it overseas and in Chicago. I need to stop being comfortable in my white community. Still appreciating my culture for what it is: Caucasian Southern American, but stepping out and embracing ALL of those around me. Through talking with Sarah and Carlos and reading the information they have given me, I feel God's hand at work in my life to further push me out of my comfort zone by sharing my desire to see a multi-ethnic church body with my friends who come from a sheltered lifestyle, much like my own.  Some things that I learned thus far: the immigration process makes it virtually impossible for migrants to American to gain citizenship or even a green card or visa. The easiest route to take would be marrying or being child of a U.S. Citizen. Even still, it can take several years and thousands of dollars to complete the whole process. Maybe it's just me, but it doesn't make sense charge someone who can barely afford their house payments and bills thousands of dollars to APPLY to become citizens or even for legal residency. Oh, and did I mention that you have to make a certain amount in order to even qualify, but you don't find out you are disqualified until you apply (which cost money that they probably didn't have). Does this make sense to anyone else? If so, please explain to me. Anyway, enough ranting. What I would love to see happen is our churches step up to the plate and love the foreigners in our land as God commands. "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God" (Lev. 19:33-34). If you are against reading the old testament, lets look at how Jesus sees them and wants us to treat them (Luke 10:29-37):  But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”    Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Hmmm...just a thought, but wouldn't this include people living among us that are from other countries? If so, why are we as a church body (I am including myself in this question, don't you worry) not reaching out to help people of different  nationalities in our own country, perhaps in our own neighborhoods? Are we scared of saying the wrong thing? Are we scared of the awkwardness? Are we apathetic to the whole situation? Do we not want to believe that this kind of prejudice and inequality exist here in our country? Do we feel like they should fully assimilate to our culture in order for us to accept them? Do we even care whether or not they feel loved unless they are in their home country? These are just a few questions I am wrestling with God about in my own heart, and I hope you will join me in doing so too! Praise the Lord! My God is a "God to whom nothing human is alien" ("Space for God" by Don Postema p.159) I am going to leave you with this video http://www.youtube.com/invisiblesfilms. We must ask ourselves what is just and how are we going to allow God to use us to bring justice to His people? The ones He created. You. Me. The foreigners in our land.

Blessings!

wrestling match: wait. doesn't it at least need to be even?

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 

When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me. The man asked him, “What is your name?”

"Jacob,” he answered.

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

So much meat from this text. 

1.) Jacob is alone. When I am left alone or separate myself that I am able to wrestle with where God has placed me and what He is doing in my heart and the hearts of those around me. Much like Jesus had to separate Himself to cry out to God to take the cup away, I must get away and ask God why/is there another way?

2.) "the man saw that he could not overpower [Jacob]"...wait. What?! Isn't "the man" God? Wow. This is probably my favorite part of these verses. God humbled Himself enough to be in a wrestling match with Jacob. Does this not shock anyone else but me to know that the God of the universe, the Creator of all things (including Jacob) humbled Himself to be attacked by the created? God is so good and merciful and personal that He humbles Himself enough to hear us cry out in our misery fully. We see this in the stories of Job and Hannah. God allows us to be completely honest with how we feel. The good, the bad, and the just plain ugly. PTL that He is not a distant God, but is a God that seeks to understand us and know us intimately. Even if that intimacy includes a knock-down-drag-out.

3.) PTL that although He shows compassion on us by letting us pour out our hearts to Him, our God does not cease being God. After God allowed the wrestling to go on till daylight, Jacob probably thinks that he is defeating "the man," but the Lord shows Him otherwise. He TOUCHES (not punches, not even hits...TOUCHES) Jacob's hip, and it dislocates. What?! That's right. That's MY God. He will not be defeated! He is unmatched! Every time we after we pour out all the junk in our hearts and question His authority, God not only shows His kindness through listening, but He also reveals to us His sovereignty (i.e. Job). Thank You, Lord, for Your mysteries You are constantly revealing to us day-in-and-day-out.

4.) Our God is a personal God. He cares to know our name and seeks to bless with a new name. He does not leave as we are, broken, bruised and beaten. He picks us up out of the miry clay and allows us to become new creations in Him.

5.) God allows Jacob to see His face, but does not destroy Him. What a compassionate God we serve. 

I am overwhelmed by His compassion, sovereignty, and intimate love He has for us. How can we stand in His presence and not be moved?