Wednesday, February 5, 2025

“The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ (Leviticus 19:34, New Revised standard Version)

               How did “immigrant” become a four-lettered word in North America and Europe? Why have we demonized these outsiders? Why have we turned then into monsters who are invading every nook and corner of our lands? Why have we labeled them all as rapists and terrorists and murderers? (At least, according to some of the recent American election ads.) Since when are immigrants the targets of our prejudices, fears, repudiation and lack of toleration?

                Unless we are among the indigenous peoples of North America, we are all of immigrant stock. My father’s family came from Germany; my mother’s side from England. They all found and made a good home here in Canada.  They prospered and contributed to the goodness of this country. But they were first immigrants, looking for a new home, a fresh start, a place to thrive and prosper. Good citizens, if you will.

                Today’s immigrants are from a host of countries and cultures. Unlike maybe Germany or England, their customs, language, cultures, food seem strange and alien. They tend to keep to their own people, understandably and some, not all, are slow to integrate. But the immigrants whom I see are trying to make a honest go of it.  Like Abraham and Sarah, they have left a familiar homeland to go to a new and strange land. They take menial jobs, and some more than just one, to begin to eke out a living. They work hard. We find them as maids in our hotels, janitors in our churches, running our corner variety stores, cleaning staff in our hospitals or picking crops in our fields.

                There was a Ukrainian woman who was one my mother-in-law’s palliative care givers. She had been a doctor in Ukraine. But we won’t give her accreditation here in Canada or even help her to get her certification other than to make it a long, drawn-out process. She is a warm, caring, compassionate and very competent health-care provider. Susan and I are without a family doctor right now; and I would sign up with this woman in a heartbeat if she was allowed to come to Peterborough to practice family medicine.  

                Are there bad apples among immigrants. Sure, as there are in any sorts of people, no matter their or our nationality. Does it frustrate me when a telemarketer phones and I am unable to understand because of the thick accented English? Yep! But I also need to understand that this might the only job they could get. For all I know, I could be talking to an engineer, a lab technician, a professor or a researcher.

                As our text above indicates, God wanted to ensure that immigrants or aliens were safe and accepted among the Jews. “You shall love the alien as yourself…”  It is interesting to me that there are those folk who will quote Levitical law to bash and condemn certain people, but will totally ignore this statement. But the Law says a great deal on this matter: “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien.” (19:33) Yes, there were ideals and expectations within the Law which were outlined for the immigrants to adhere or obey.  “You and the alien who resides with you shall have the same law and the same ordinance.” (Numbers 15:16)  But they were to be cared for with compassion. “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien: I am the Lord your God.” (23:22) God himself has passed this into law. His signature is right there. “Thus says the Lord: ‘Act with justice and righteousness and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.’”(Jeremiah 22:3)

                Of course, Jesus leads by his own example in his ministry. We should remind ourselves that he and his family were immigrants in Egypt, shortly after his birth. But it is his relationships with outsiders, foreigners, gentiles which should inspire us and soften our attitudes towards those not-us. He was open to all people and accepted them and reached out to them with his love and compassion. It is as if immigrants have become modern-day lepers to be kept out of our way, out of our presence, out of our lands. But Jesus has demonstrated that even “lepers” can be loved, included, restored and brought into the fellowship and grace of humanity.

                “You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.” (Ephesians 2:19-22, The Message Bible)

Dale