Deuteronomy 10:12 (NRSV)

Her name was Sam. At least, that's what she told people here, because her real name — Xiomara — made people uncomfortable. They'd try it once, mangle it, and look relieved when she smiled and said, "Sam is fine."

She arrived in 2004, with two suitcases, a worn-out dictionary, and the same dream every person who ever came here — including my ancestors and yours — carried with them: a better life.

What she hadn't expected was the grocery store. Not the size, but the variety. An older woman noticed her staring at forty-seven kinds of breakfast cereal with an expression somewhere between confusion and panic. The woman picked up a box of Cheerios, held it out, and said, "These are good," and walked away.

Sam ate Cheerios every morning for a month. After that, she discovered Raisin Bran. And Captain Crunch.

She learned English fast, out of necessity, and before long had a job at a hospital. There was still the apartment manager who told her she didn't 'sound right' for the building. Still, the coworker who spoke slowly and loudly at her, like more volume could fix the language gap. But there was also still the woman from the cereal aisle.

A few months later, Sam ran into the “cereal aisle” woman again. The woman remembered her. She asked how she was getting on, and actually listened to the answer. Before they parted, she said, "We have a church. Nothing fancy, just like the Cheerios. But the people are good. You're welcome if you want to come."

She came. A Sunday school teacher named Harold learned her name on the first try. Over time, people cared for her and visited her, “just because.” Like a neighbor. Like a person. She was home.

Moses, near the end of his life, stood before the people he led through the wilderness and asked them a question: What does the Lord your God require of you? He doesn't leave it hanging. Fear God. Walk in his ways. Love him. Serve him with everything you have. And — almost as a natural consequence — love the stranger. Because you were strangers once. You know what that cost.

America turns 250 this summer. That's worth celebrating. Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of men put their names to a document that said, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." They didn’t make that up. They reached for something they believed was already true, written into the nature of things by God himself. Some of them would lose everything for signing it — their homes, their fortunes, their lives. It is right to honor that. It is right to celebrate it. But that creed is now ours to carry. Every person. Including the ones who show up with two suitcases and a worn-out dictionary and dreams of a better life.

Being a true American, in the purest sense, has always meant taking that creed seriously — living it. Jesus didn't leave much ambiguity about what that looks like either. Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself. Sam is a neighbor. Xiomara is a neighbor. The cereal lady understood that. The apartment manager hadn't gotten there yet.

Moses's question still hangs in the air. It was never aimed at strangers. It's aimed at the people who already claim the name.

What does the Lord require of you?

Father, remind us what it felt like to need someone to hand us a box of cereal. Give us the grace to go back down that aisle and invite someone in. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Cliff McCartney

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.