The devotions over the next week were initially created for publication in Eternity for Today, a devotional resource from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, for the week of March 12, 2022
Read: Philippians 3:17-4:1
But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Phil. 3:20)
Reflect: My family did quite a bit of international travel growing up, and for several years my dad carried a different passport than the rest of us. When we stepped off the airplane and walked through the customs and immigration hall, he would have to go through a different line, often leaving my mom, me and my siblings with all the luggage. But then he was granted citizenship, and with a new passport that matched ours, he could go through lines with us. We now shared an identifying label and could stand together in ways we were previously divided.
Through Christ, we have been granted citizenship in heaven. We now get to stand alongside Christ as we travel through life. When we are confronted or challenged with who we are or where we belong, our identity in Christ centres and grounds us in ways that give us strength. We can now stand together with a diverse, global, ecumenical and expansive community of siblings who share this identity with us. With the promise of eternity, we have everything we need to navigate the challenges and struggles of today.
Pray: Dear God, draw us together with the whole human family as we stand alongside the One who gives us life.