Following the Star wherever He leads

Mary and Joseph took their baby Jesus from Bethlehem to Egypt. God warned them in a dream that King Herod was on a rampage and they needed to flee to another country.

How do you think the Egyptians responded when this family turned up looking for housing, food and jobs? Mary and Joseph stayed in Egypt until Herod died, for about 2 years (Matt 2:19). Did some Egyptians help Joseph find work? Did they find them a place to live? Did they show them the best places to shop? Did they pray with them? Did they find medical care for little Jesus when he was sick? How would you respond if a bedraggled family from another country showed up on your doorstep?

On November 3rd, the US Government ended temporary protected status for South Sudanese refugees who had been legally approved to be in this country. Thousands of people will be deported back to South Sudan. The people who are a part of Emmanuel Sudanese are mostly citizens now, but they have friends and relatives who have been here on protected status. Some of them have been here as early as 2011. All of them were admitted legally as they fled real threats to their lives. DHS justified deportation, saying there was “an improving security situation” in South Sudan even as the Times of London reported that South Sudan was “close to civil war” now.

Like Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, these refugees fled violence in their homeland. Like the Holy Family, they were received by people who helped them find housing and jobs in a strange land. In Phoenix, it was Christians who welcomed them: Lutheran Social Services and Episcopal Migration Ministries.

These Christians were following their Star, Christ! Christ welcomes us into the family of God! We were lost and forsaken; God adopts us as Children of God! How could we not respond by welcoming the stranger into our communities? The Egyptians didn’t know they were welcoming their Savior! Likewise, the author of Hebrews urges us to welcome others into our homes and communities as if they are angels sent by God (Heb 13:2).

We have an opportunity to advocate for our South Sudanese neighbors. Here’s some ways that God may be calling you:

1. Pray for the South Sudanese community and for all refugees in the US, that God may soften the hearts of leaders to fulfill promises that were made.

2. Write to leaders in Congress and let them know that temporary protected status for South Sudanese and refugees are important to you. You can easily look up your representatives and their contact information at https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

3. For a Christmas gift to someone, contribute your time or money to Lutheran Social Services (https://www.lss-sw.org/) or Global Refuge (https://www.globalrefuge.org/)

We believe Christ is returning to gather all God’s people together in one family. Come, Lord Jesus!

Pastor Peter