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A Heavenly Citizenship

AdventRefugees, Asylum and SanctuaryWeek 1 · Day 7

Scripture References

Read First

Old Testament

Psalm 146:1-10

1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, my soul.

2 While I live, I will praise the LORD. I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist.

3 Don’t put your trust in princes, in a son of man in whom there is no help.

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4 His spirit departs, and he returns to the earth. In that very day, his thoughts perish.

5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD, his God,

6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever;

7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD frees the prisoners.

8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD raises up those who are bowed down. The LORD loves the righteous.

9 The LORD preserves the foreigners. He upholds the fatherless and widow, but he turns the way of the wicked upside down.

10 The LORD will reign forever; your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!

New Testament

Philippians 3:20-21

20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,

21 who will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working by which he is able even to subject all things to himself.

Thought for the Day

Psalm 146 blesses the one whose help is the God of Jacob. It is a psalm for public life: the Lord executes justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, sets prisoners free, opens blind eyes, lifts the bowed down, watches over the sojourner, upholds the widow and the fatherless.

For many refugees, citizenship is fragile: papers lost, status uncertain, belonging contested. The gospel does not mock that ache. It names a deeper home.

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Paul speaks of another belonging: our citizenship is in heaven, and we await a Saviour. He will change our lowly bodies; he will not leave creation in decay. This is not escapism. It is a re-ordering. We belong first to Christ’s kingdom, and therefore we are freed from panic and from contempt. We can serve without worshipping the state, and we can critique without despair.

So pray for fair pathways to settlement and safety. Pray for leaders who do not forget the sojourner. And ask God to make the Church a place where belonging is practised: where strangers are greeted, where names are learned, where the poor are not awkward. Let heaven’s citizenship teach us how to live on earth with steadiness, honour, and hope.

Prayer Points

Respond
  • Lord, watch over the sojourner and uphold the vulnerable; let your justice be done in places of power.
  • Give fair and clear pathways for legal status, reunification, and long-term stability where it is needed.
  • Strengthen local communities receiving newcomers; grant patience, humility, and truthful speech.
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  • Make your Church a home that practises belonging: hospitality without spectacle, welcome without suspicion.
  • Fix my hope on Christ the Saviour, so that I can serve my neighbours without fear or contempt.
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