Citizenship

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

By Jenny Sung, Executive Coordinator

I recently went to the UCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) office with my father as I’m sponsoring him for permanent residency in the U.S. Going through the interview process with my dad made me think back to my own naturalization process for U.S. citizenship. I was born in Peru, then became a citizen of South Korea until my mid-twenties.

As a high school and college student, from boarding school to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, my life in the U.S. was always dependent on visas. I distinctly remember the separate lines at the airport for citizens versus foreigners when coming back into the U.S. after travel. Each time, I was keenly aware that I was a foreigner, not a citizen. I remember the first time I came back into the U.S. after I became a citizen. The officer who checked my passport said, “Welcome back to the United States.”

Whenever I read this verse in the book of Ephesians, it strikes a particular chord in me: 

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. (Ephesians 2:19-20)

The law of Moses in the Old Testament distinguished between Jews (the people of Israel) and non-Jews. But with Jesus as our Cornerstone, He broke through all barriers and separation: “You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people.” As believers in Jesus Christ, we are all citizens of God, a part of His family. Together we are His house. 

Our identity rests solely in Jesus. He bore all our sins and died on the cross so we can be reconciled to God with no barriers whatsoever. For anyone who can relate to struggles of identity or belonging, know that your belief in Jesus secures your identity and sense of belonging. Jesus is your Cornerstone. You are God’s beloved. 

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You for calling us Your children, for inviting us into Your household by removing the barrier of sin and separation, and calling us into a loving relationship with You. May we invite others into your household to know you in a personal way. In Your precious name we pray, Amen.

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