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Citizens of Heaven
March 16, 2025
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 | Philippians 3:17-4:1 |Luke 13:31-35 | Psalm 27
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Citizenship. This word holds extra weight these days. What does it mean to be a citizen? Who’s in, and who’s out? Who’s worthy, and how do our laws govern and guide us in determining this?
When we focus on our differences here on earth, these disputes are fraught with animosity. But in today’s Epistle, we’re reminded that ultimately, we are not citizens of any one nation but of heaven — and it’s from heaven that our savior comes.
When I researched this reading, I learned that Paul’s example – which he was calling the Philippians to emulate – was downright countercultural in how it eschewed earthly power and privilege (i.e., that of the ruling elites) and instead valued ordinary people as the “joy and crown.” To what degree do we heed this advice today? Do we treat each other as precious, or are we dazzled by earthly riches and fleeting power? Do we remember that, even on earth, we live as citizens of heaven — or are we obsessed with national identities and differences?
Paul doesn’t give explicit guidance on immigration law. He doesn’t help us sort through the many complexities and contradictions of our system. But Jesus and his disciples certainly set a tone, and it’s one of compassion, empathy, and welcoming. It’s a tone free from judgment, blame, and scorn toward the refugee and the stranger. When I imagine what it means to be a citizen of heaven, I imagine a world without boundaries, nationalism, or deprivation. I don’t know how we create that here on earth. I don’t always know what it means to “stand firm in the Lord” or to live not as an enemy of the cross, but in Jesus’ example. But this Lent, I hope to reconnect to these messages of justice, peace, and love so that I might find ways to live those values more consistently when, where, and how I can.
Katie Anderson
