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REFLECTION

‘Demonstrating God’s counter-culture for the stranger’ is the theme for our reflection. A counter-culture is the value or lifestyle of a person or group of people which rejects or is in contrast with the mainstream or dominant cultural values and behavior of a society. For example, it is an act of counter-culture in some Western countries to marry more than one wife whereas in most African countries it an accepted way of life to be polygamous.

The Psalmist praises God for His faithfulness and admonishes Israelites to put their trust in God because He is their Saviour. In God’s economy of grace and Salvation, He shows love and concern to the strangers who are not part of His covenant nation, Israel. In some countries and cultures being  a stranger renders you vulnerable and predisposes you to all manner of exploitation and inhumane treatment. This is the fate of some African immigrants in some parts of Europe, Asia and Arab countries. The Psalmist acknowledged the fact that God demonstrated His counter-culture of care and protection for strangers in the Jewish society when he wrote that “…The LORD watches over the strangers…” (Psalm 146:9).

Dear friend in the Lord, the world is now seen as a global village because technology and human interactions have made us closer and interdependent. It is for this reason we are witnessing the increment in migration and naturalization of strangers in different countries and cultures. Every believer must demonstrate God’s love and counter-culture for strangers especially in societies with laws and cultures that does not preserve and respect the dignity of the strangers from other racial or religious backgrounds. Every stranger is first and foremost a human being created in the image of God before becoming a product of his or her culture or socio-political environment. God has demonstrated His counter-culture for strangers by preserving their human dignity and watching over them, we believers cannot do otherwise even if our countries and ethnic groups have a culture that is harsh to strangers. We must stand out and demonstrate a counter-culture of love, hospitality and respect for human dignity no matter a stranger’s gender, race, political affiliation and religion. Shalom.

PRAYER

Dear God, strengthen us to demonstrate counter-culture Christian values to strangers in a society which encourages the abuse and violation of the human rights of strangers.