Acts 22:28 Then
the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”
“But I was born a
citizen,” Paul replied. (NIV)
(Reading about Paul’s
ancient rights as a Roman citizen in today’s passage stimulated these thoughts
which I think need to be expressed, read, and pondered.)
Twenty-five years ago, our
family came to Knoxville for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. We had always
wanted to see America, so when we were given the opportunity of swapping
pulpits for six weeks with a pastor in South Knoxville, we jumped at the
chance. Little did we know that God was moving in mysterious ways and turning
our vacation into a lifelong vocation.
In 2002, Evelyn and I became
naturalized citizens, and our daughters were granted this honor two years
later. It was our way of saying, “thank you,” to the many people who had
welcomed, befriended, and supported us at Erin church. It also gave us the
wonderful privilege of being able to vote in national elections for the very
first time, as well as living freely under the liberties granted to us by the
Constitution. Even though we were not born here, our citizenship gave us the
same rights as all who were.
Recently, though, those
blessings seem to have changed and we wonder if we are now second-class
citizens. Immigrant-citizens like us are now cautious about speaking out about
injustice or criticizing government policies. We are inwardly fearful of
expressing our right of free speech in case it interferes with our citizenship status;
we are silent because our accents are a dead give away that we come from
somewhere else other than the United States. This saddens me deeply because our
family happily became citizens almost two decades ago. People like us are now
afraid of being told to ‘go back to our own country’ simply because we may
disagree with what’s happening in America today.
Last week, Evelyn and I were
in Washington D.C. for a short trip. We visited all the wonderful places in and
around that remarkable city – the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial,
the Capitol Building, Arlington Cemetery, Mount Vernon, and even stood outside
the Whitehouse. We also went to the National Archive Museum to look at the actual
Declaration of Independence, as well as Lincoln’s handwritten Emancipation Act.
Those are sacred documents which every American citizen – born or naturalized –
should see at least once in their lives. We both came away from seeing those manuscripts
with a sense of awe, but also with a brand-new determinism to be patriotic Americans
and speak out against injustice, corruption, and intolerance wherever and
whenever we come across them. We are, after all, citizens of the United States
and have equal rights to do this as real Americans, which is how God truly
blesses America.
Point to ponder
What rights of
citizenship are most sacred to me? What rights from God are given to everyone?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we
are just pilgrims passing through this world until we reach Your Heavenly Realm.
Remind us that we all belong to You, so we should treat one another with the
same love and grace You personally grant to us. In Your Holy Name, we freely
and faithfully pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the
Scottish pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and
join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome, no
matter who you are or where you’re from. 😊
Today’s image is one of
John’s patriotic drawings called “Liberty Lights.” If you would like to see a
larger version, please click this link: Liberty.
