“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”
Matthew 5:46-47 (NIV)
Sociologists would say that it’s only human to be aligned with a group, tribe, sect or a community of those we consider to be our own people, but God sees all people as His own people, since He created every person for Himself. Jesus calls us to meet, greet and show kindness to those who are outside of our own familiar community.
A team of people from my church have been working to help a family of nine, who journeyed 7400 miles, just to live in safety and freedom. The family is from Afghanistan. Hamid, the father, is one of many Afghani men who risked his life to aid our US military when our troops were involved in the war there.
When the US suddenly pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021, the terrorist Taliban regime came back, regaining their oppressive control of the country. They imposed rigid laws on the entire population, restricting the people’s rights, but the main mission of the Taliban was to hunt down and murder all those who aided US coalition forces during the war.
Many Afghani families fled for their life, seeking refuge here. Hamid was one of the fortunate ones, who escaped, saving not only himself, but his wife and seven children. He now has a job, and gets help from a team in our church who hooks his family up with the agencies, education and material goods that they need.
This year I spent Christmas Eve in a way that I never did before. Cathy and Tom, who are part of the team working with them, took me along to visit Hamid’s family, who live in the Chicago area. We brought toys for the children, who are ages 3 to 14, and enjoyed a three hour visit with them.
Sara, the seven year old, attached herself to me. She brought me books to read to her, served me tea and Cheetos with a little tea set, and later, Cathy and I played a few games of Uno, with her and Fahima, her mom. I picked up some words in Dari, a dialect similar to Persian, and learned a special phrase, “Beh tarindost”, which means “my best friend”.
Hamid’s best friend, who is like a brother, was also there with his family. He escaped from the same town in Afghanistan five years ago, and his two children, are now teenagers, fluent in English. Bibi is a high school junior who dreams of becoming a doctor. She was the one who translated for all of us that day. Her brother, Obide, is an avid soccer fan, who wants to become a dentist one day. He was watching a soccer game on TV, during our visit.
Fahima asked how Cathy and I knew each other, and we told her that we go to the same church. Obide perked up and asked if we went to the Hillside church. I told him I did not, and then he went back to watching TV. I thought to myself, how would a Moslem teenager be familiar with a particular church by name?
I later searched on my phone and discovered there is a Hillside church in their neighborhood with a website that emphasizes their student outreach ministry. Obide must have heard of the church through his high school friends.
It seems that in every culture, the adults tend to stay within their own faith community, while the younger generation is open to learn about other faith traditions, through school friends. I am sure that’s how Obide knew the name of that particular church.
As Fahima graciously served us tea, cookies and pistachio nuts, she asked Cathy what Christmas is, through Bibi, who translated for us. Cathy said it’s a celebration of the birth of Jesus, who we believe is the son of God. She left a tiny seed of our faith, while we had an entire afternoon of exchanging mutual kindness and respect.
After spending most of my time with Sara, as the time came to say goodbye, I called her, “Beh tarindost,” my best friend. She filled my heart with lots of love and big hugs during those few hours. I can still see her in the doorway as we left, asking me to come back again.
Jesus told us to step outside of our comfort zone and greet those who are not our own people. He knew that when we do, we would be overwhelmed with the warmth of God’s love that flows through all people from every culture. I learned from Sara, my best friend that day, that love really does transcend all barriers.
Lord, make us a bridge to peace by sharing your love with those outside our own community of faith, so we may be blessed by your love that flows through all people. Amen
Sara and me