We live surrounded by aliens, foreigners and strangers…and we always have. Aliens do not simply fly UFO’s and UAP’s, they live among us. Aliens are foreigners from another land. Aliens are not naturalized citizens of the country in which they live. A foreigner does not belong to a particular place or group. In other words, aliens and foreigners are strangers and outsiders.
We ALL share a heritage of being strangers in a foreign land. Americans take pride in the fact we are a nation of converted aliens and foreigners. We are immigrants united by our citizenship in the United States of America. Citizenship is what defines us as Americans and as a people.
The fabric of our United States is constructed and strengthened by aliens, foreigners and strangers who submit to a process and become American citizens by choice. The choice of citizenship is what unites our disparate backgrounds. Citizenship is a legal and covenantal relationship that entails rights and duties. The past few years have seen an increased effort to dilute the unity of our nation by circumventing the legal process and covenants that make us citizens of a United States. When the legal process and rule of law is not enforced the covenant we make as citizens is broken.
This past week our nation celebrated Thanksgiving as a national holiday. The original Thanksgiving proclamation is a reminder the founding fathers of America recognized the need for our covenant with the Judeo-Christian God of Creation. It is our citizenship as Americans and our covenant with God that is in the eye of the storm.
America was founded to regain God-given freedoms that had been usurped by the oppression of kings and queens. Where politically organized communities and territories were previously known as kingdoms with monarchical forms of government, our founding fathers chose a republic form of governing. The freedom to choose our own leadership made the term ‘kingdom’ fade away. The sovereignty of leadership changed and evolved but the reality of a kingdom did not go away.
The Bible teaches there are two distinct kingdoms. The earthly kingdom and a heavenly kingdom. A kingdom of man and the Kingdom of God, the Creator of man and earth. The knowledge of a creation and a Creator is ground zero to understand everything that followed. The Bible reminds us that God created the heavens and the earth where there was previously a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness. This planet was a prison, a dark place where Lucifer had been cast from the presence of God. When God decided to create man and woman in His own image, He made us as aliens, foreigners and strangers exiled on this planet.
The reality of being an alien has been planted in the hearts and minds of all people. In the book of Genesis, God chose people to be citizens of His Kingdom. He made His people, His citizens to be aliens and foreigners and strangers in the world. God told these people they would be ‘strangers in a country not their own…enslaved and mistreated there.’
After thousands of years, the New Testament continued this teaching about God’s people and the choice we have to become God’s people. Peter addressed his letter to Christ followers… ‘To God’s elect, strangers in the world..’ The 11th chapter of Hebrews is a roll call of God’s people known as the Hall of Faith. Many are listed as the stalwarts of faith, citizens of the heavenly Kingdom of God. The writer confirms these citizens ‘admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.’
God made sure His people knew they are exiles on this planet. He gave instructions on how to deal with foreigners and aliens…AND how to LIVE as one. The Old Testament says point blank, ‘Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.’ The New Testament reminds us ‘..I urge you, as foreigners and exiles…Live such good lives among the pagans that…they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.’
Since the United States was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, our founders made a covenant with the nation to rule by these principles. Have we always fulfilled that covenant? No. But, when we fail, we have confessed our failures and tried to right the wrongs. Because of this, our laws have provided more freedoms and less oppression than anywhere on the planet. The United States is based on laws where citizenship requires rights and duties and prohibits purposeful wrongs and discrimination. When these rights are given away but the duties are not required, the covenant is broken and the country suffers. Welcome to 2024.
Re-read the Proclamation of Thanksgiving written by George Washington, the first elected President of the United States. Americans have forgotten our recognition of and dependence on God is what made our nation great. This submission to Judeo-Christian principles has given us the freedom and opportunity to CHOOSE a citizenship in Heaven as well as America.
Citizenship is what matters. Citizenship is a choice to submit to a legal covenantal process and authority that will govern your life. Citizenship defines who we are in our heads and hearts. In the book of Philippians, Paul reminds Christ followers they can be confident and take refuge knowing ‘our citizenship is in heaven.’
Earthly kingdoms rise and fall. Political parties change their stripes. Our citizenship is defined in our hearts where our loyalties and submission comes from. Where is your citizenship??