Welcome the Stranger
Bible in a Year :
You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.
Today's Scripture
Insight
The separation between Jewish and non-Jewish people was critically important when Paul wrote Ephesians. And, indeed, as God’s chosen people, the Jews held a special place in His plan. Messiah Himself was thoroughly Jewish. But the distinction created much animosity between the two groups, particularly concerning the practice of circumcision. Paul dismissed such attitudes as contrary to God’s plan—the “mystery . . . that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel” (Ephesians 3:6). God “has made the two groups one” (2:14). Gentiles are “no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens” (v. 19) through Christ’s blood (v. 13).
In Everything Sad Is Untrue, Daniel Nayeri describes his harrowing flight with his mother and sister from persecution through a refugee camp to safety in the United States. An elderly couple agreed to sponsor them, though they didn’t know them. Years later, Daniel still can’t get over it. He writes, “Can you believe that? Totally blind, they did that. They’d never even met us. And if we turned out to be villains, they’d have to pay for it. That’s almost as brave, kind, and reckless as I can think of anybody being.”
Yet God desires us to have that level of concern for others. He told Israel to be kind to foreigners. “Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt” (Leviticus 19:34). He reminds gentile believers in Jesus—that’s many of us—that once we “were separate from Christ . . . and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). So He commands all of us former foreigners, both Jew and gentile, “to show hospitality to strangers” (Hebrews 13:2).
Now grown up with a family of his own, Daniel praises Jim and Jean Dawson, “who were so Christian that they let a family of refugees come live with them until they could find a home.”
God welcomes the stranger and urges us to welcome them too.
Reflect & Pray
Who is an outsider in your world? How might you reach out and welcome them into your space?
Dear Jesus, show me the stranger You want me to love.
Donald Trump, J.D. Vance and Satan are asking us evangelical Christians to fear strangers when God is asking us to welcome them. Are we disciples of Christ or of Satan and Donald Trump? For all intent and purpose most born-again Christians gravitate to the latter. Even pagans in Egypt and the cruel Roman legion allowed Mary and Joseph, with baby Jesus in tow, escaping King Herod's persecution, to stay in the Niles region. Joseph and Mary couldn't speak Greek nor Latin, not to speak of Pharoah's tongue. Yet they were accepted by the locals, made their living, much like the Haitians and Venezuelans in our midst, allowed them to tide over evil King Herod's reign. Egyptians could very well accused the holy family being Jewish Zealots who were the terrorists and criminal gangs in their days; they didn't. Born-again Christians should not succumb to evil talks from Donald Trump and his acolytes but let the power of the Spirit and the love of Christ reign over their hearts to do what is righteous in the sight of the Lord.
Ohio sheriff asks residents to 'write down' Harris supporter addresses for migrant housing
An Ohio county sheriff seemingly instructed residents to write down the addresses of homeowners who have signs supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in their front yards, according to his social media post.
Portage County Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski shared a Facebook post on Sept. 13 concerning Harris' campaign and her border policies.
"When people ask me...What's gonna happen if the Flip - Flopping, Laughing Hyena Wins?? I say...write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards," Zuchowski wrote in the Facebook post. "Sooo...when the Illegal human "Locust" (which she supports!) Need places to live...We'll already have the addresses of their New families...who supported their arrival!"
Attached to the sheriff's social media post are screenshots of Fox News coverage from Aurora, Colorado, and Springfield, Ohio. Both Aurora and Springfield have garnered national attention after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, said that migrants were committing dangerous acts in the cities — including taking over apartment complexes and kidnapping and eating pets.
USA TODAY contacted Zuchowski and the Portage County Sheriff's Office on Monday but has not received a response.
What did Trump and Vance say about Springfield and Aurora?
Over the past couple of weeks, Trump and Vance have told stories about migrants in Aurora and Springfield while campaigning, many of which local officials have refuted. The former president made mention of both cities during last week's presidential debate on ABC.
"In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in," Trump said about Haitian migrants in Springfield during the debate, which drew more than 67 million viewers. "They're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there. This is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame."
Early in the debate, Trump said, "You look at Aurora in Colorado. They are taking over the towns.” In Aurora, members of a Venezuelan prison gang called Tren de Aragua (TdA) were arrested and charged with various offenses following rumors that they were taking over a local apartment complex and making tenants pay them rent.
Vance has also commented on both cities and called for action along the border.
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Springfield's and Aurora's leadership denounce rumors
Leaders in both cities have denounced the rumors and emphatically denied that there is any truth to them.
In a video message on Facebook, Springfield city manager Bryan Heck spoke about the rumors.
"It is disappointing that some of the narrative surrounding our city has been skewed by misinformation circulating on social media and further amplified political rhetoric in the current highly charged presidential election cycle," Heck said in the video posted Sept. 11. "These rumors will not distract us from addressing the real strain on our resources."
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and Council Member and Public Safety Chair Danielle Jurinsky released a statement last week following the TdA arrests and Trump's comments.
"TdA has not 'taken over' the city," the statement reads. "The overstated claims fueled by social media and through select news organizations are simply not true. Again, TdA’s presence in Aurora is limited to specific properties, all of which the city has been addressing in various ways for months."
'The American media totally ignored this stuff'"Can you affirmatively say now that this is a rumor that has no basis with evidence?" Bash asked.
Vance told Bash that his evidence was the firsthand accounts of his constituents who told him that it was happening.
"The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes," he said. "If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do, Dana, because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast."
Bash then pointed out that Vance just said he was creating a story, to which the senator responded, "Yes."
"We are creating − we are – Dana, it comes from firsthand accounts from my constituents," Vance said. "I say that we're creating a story, meaning we're creating the American media focusing on it. I didn't create 20,000 illegal migrants coming into Springfield, thanks to Kamala Harris' policies. Her policies did that, but yes, we created the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about this story and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris' policies."
Contributing: Erin Couch/ Cincinnati Enquirer
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ohio sheriff asks residents to 'write down' Harris supporter addresses for migrant housing
Vance defended the rumors, during a CNN interview over the weekend, defended his use of the stories as a clever way to get the attention of Americans during the election season.
In the Sunday morning interview on CNN's "State of the Union," journalist Dana Bash asked the vice presidential candidate why Trump did not discuss policy during the debate and instead just said, "Haitians are eating dogs and cats."
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