This week we celebrate together with Kenneth the reunion of his family! What a joy it is for us to meet his wife, Millicent, and daughters, Doris and Loretta, after all these many months of prayers on their behalf. What a much greater joy it must be for him to finally have his family reunited.
It’s a blessing for us because it reminds us of the all-important issue of citizenship. We tend to take our citizenship for granted until we hear stories like Enrique finally getting his citizenship, or we see Kenneth and his family reunited, excited about pursuing "citizenship" in a brand new country. Living in the DC area, we are blessed to be able to drive by the White House, the Lincoln Memorial and the Library of Congress...and see all these symbols of America are real places. Conversely, one of the bad things is we get familiar with these amazing symbols and often drive right by without even a second look. Do you remember the first time you drove by the Washington Monument and said to yourself, "Wow! There it is! I live right by the Washington Monument."
I wonder if we don't do something similar with our citizenship in heaven. I wonder if the temptation is to be citizens of the most amazing "nation" in the world, the kingdom of God...and to take for granted all the amazing blessings and benefits we have as citizens. Do we miss how amazing it is to take the Lord's Supper because, like the Washington Monument, we drive by it all the time? Do we fail to grasp the freedom that we experience in Christ and bask in how fantastic it really is? Not that America deserves to be compared to God's kingdom...it really does not... but since we are citizens of both places at the present time, maybe it’s a fitting comparison for our situation.
This week as we welcome Millicent, Doris, and Loretta to our family, maybe we can learn from them how great reunion can be. I doubt Kenneth or Millicent, as political refugees, will easily forget they can say what they want about our government without fear of retribution. I doubt they will forget anytime soon they are free to move about and go where they wish. It might be good to see Kenneth’s family as a way to reflect on the freedoms we experience in America...but if that's all we do then we will miss the real chance to see ourselves as people who are exactly in their shoes: visa in hand, citizens of God's kingdom, and secure in knowing the freedom He has promised us.
It’s a blessing for us because it reminds us of the all-important issue of citizenship. We tend to take our citizenship for granted until we hear stories like Enrique finally getting his citizenship, or we see Kenneth and his family reunited, excited about pursuing "citizenship" in a brand new country. Living in the DC area, we are blessed to be able to drive by the White House, the Lincoln Memorial and the Library of Congress...and see all these symbols of America are real places. Conversely, one of the bad things is we get familiar with these amazing symbols and often drive right by without even a second look. Do you remember the first time you drove by the Washington Monument and said to yourself, "Wow! There it is! I live right by the Washington Monument."
I wonder if we don't do something similar with our citizenship in heaven. I wonder if the temptation is to be citizens of the most amazing "nation" in the world, the kingdom of God...and to take for granted all the amazing blessings and benefits we have as citizens. Do we miss how amazing it is to take the Lord's Supper because, like the Washington Monument, we drive by it all the time? Do we fail to grasp the freedom that we experience in Christ and bask in how fantastic it really is? Not that America deserves to be compared to God's kingdom...it really does not... but since we are citizens of both places at the present time, maybe it’s a fitting comparison for our situation.
This week as we welcome Millicent, Doris, and Loretta to our family, maybe we can learn from them how great reunion can be. I doubt Kenneth or Millicent, as political refugees, will easily forget they can say what they want about our government without fear of retribution. I doubt they will forget anytime soon they are free to move about and go where they wish. It might be good to see Kenneth’s family as a way to reflect on the freedoms we experience in America...but if that's all we do then we will miss the real chance to see ourselves as people who are exactly in their shoes: visa in hand, citizens of God's kingdom, and secure in knowing the freedom He has promised us.
Mark
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