Tuesday, April 20, 2021

FOREIGNERS IN EGYPT
 
Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner; remember that you were foreigners in Egypt. 
Exodus 22:21 (NIV)
 
When they (the Magi) had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said,” take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt.” Matthew :13 (NIV)
 
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Matthew 5:17 (NIV)
 
The first scripture is one of the 613 Mosaic laws following the Ten Commandments, which are found in the Old Testament. The laws expand upon the Ten Commandments and deal with a variety of things – moral questions, social rules, food safety, health, feasts, offerings to God, instructions for priests, rules for the tabernacle carried out of Egypt and the eventual temple in Jerusalem, and behavior of future Kings in Israel. These laws are what Jesus was talking about in the third verse above.
 
It seems as though every evening there is a story in the news about the surge of unaccompanied minors who are crossing our southern border with Mexico. Why the sudden surge? Many point to the Central American destruction of Hurricanes Eta and Iota in November, 2020, which along with drug-related corruption and gangs, created a trifecta with the pandemic’s economic impact to make living difficult. It is so difficult that parents are willing to send their children on a dangerous journey to cross the border alone. Next month, 13,000 are expected to cross over, according to one United States Immigration and Customs (ICE) government official. 
 
Our Methodist institutions are helping. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has partnered with an agency from Guatemala to provide hundreds of food packets for Honduran children in transit northward. UMCOR is also providing thousands of hygiene kits to six of the shelters along the border. A mission advance supports the Justice for Our Neighbors Program which provides immigration legal services when needed.
 
The Israelites who were slaves in Egypt were oppressed. They had difficult work and few resources of their own. It took ten plagues before they were allowed to leave – and then Pharoah’s troops tried to catch them before they could cross the Red Sea to safety. Many years later, Joseph was told to flee from Bethlehem to Egypt to save Jesus’ life. The Holy Family remained there as refugees for several years. Now, we are faced with a challenge at the border and must remember what the Bible says about treating foreigners well.
 
Prayer: Lord, make us instruments of your peace as we strive to do Your will in today’s world. Amen.        
 
Carol Rice
St. John's Ivyland
820 Almshouse Road
Ivyland, PA 18974
215-357-6998
stjohnsivyland.com
Rev. Brad Leight, Pastor