Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Today, let us reflect deeply on a profound truth given to us in Leviticus 25:23: “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me.” In this verse, God speaks directly to His people Israel as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. He reminds them and us that no matter how settled we may feel, no matter how much we build, plant, or accumulate, the earth is not ultimately ours to own forever. We are tenants, temporary residents, sojourners alongside the true Owner.
The land belongs to God; we are but passers-through, stewards for a season. This idea echoes throughout Scripture, painting a picture of the faithful as pilgrims on a journey. Consider the patriarchs of old. In Hebrews 11:13 we read of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and others: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” They lived in tents, not palaces of permanence. They looked forward to a city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
King David, a man after God’s own heart, confessed the same: “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a stranger, like all my fathers” Psalm 39:12 And again: “I am a sojourner in the earth; hide not your commandments from me” Psalm 119:19. David knew wealth, power, and a kingdom, yet he saw his days as a shadow, fleeting and without abiding . 1 Chronicles 29:15 The Apostle Peter builds on this truth for believers in the New Testament: “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul” 1 Peter 2:11. As sojourners, we are called to live differently and not clinging to the fleeting pleasures of this world, but pursuing holiness, because our true citizenship is in heaven Philippians 3:20. This biblical vision of being a good sojourner a faithful tenant calls us to humility, stewardship, generosity, and eternal perspective. We do not grasp tightly to possessions, status, or even this life itself, because we know they are temporary. Instead, we use what God entrusts to us to bless others, honor Him, and prepare for our eternal home.
This truth is not unique to the Bible; many wisdom traditions across the world recognize the impermanence of our earthly existence and urge detachment from what is passing.
In Daoism, in the ancient wisdom of the Tao Te Ching, speaks similarly of life as a journey. Lao Tzu teaches, “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” The wise sojourner walks the path without grasping, without demanding permanence from what is passing
In Islam, a well-known hadith from the Prophet Muhammad teaches: “Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler along a path.” This echoes the same call to live lightly, focused on the hereafter rather than worldly accumulation.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna speaks of the impermanence of the material world and the need for detachment. The body and worldly things are temporary, like changing clothes; the soul journeys onward. One is encouraged to act in the world with duty but without attachment to results, recognizing the transient nature of all things here.
In Buddhism, the core teaching of impermanence reminds us that nothing lasts everything arises and passes away. There is no permanent home in this cycle of samsara; clinging to the impermanent brings suffering. The wise traveler observes change without grasping, seeking liberation beyond the temporary.
These voices from other traditions affirm what Scripture declares: life here is brief, like a vapor James 4:14. We are not owners but stewards; not permanent residents but pilgrims heading home.
So what does it mean practically to be a good sojourner today? First, hold possessions loosely. Use them for God’s glory and the good of others, but never let them define you. As tenants, we care for the land, but we do not claim it as ours forever.
Second, live with eternity in view. Invest in what lasts faith, love, kindness, obedience to God’s Word. Abstain from fleshly passions that war against the soul, as Peter urges.
Third, welcome the stranger. Since we ourselves are sojourners with God, extend hospitality and compassion to those who feel alien here immigrants, the lonely, the marginalized for we were once strangers in need of grace.
Fourth, travel lightly and joyfully. Our journey may include trials, but we press on, knowing the best is yet to come: a new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:13
Beloved, let us confess with the faithful of old: We are strangers and sojourners here. Let this truth free us from anxiety, greed, and despair. Let it fill us with hope, generosity, and holy living. And let us not harden our hearts for today is the day of salvation. May we journey well, faithful tenants of a gracious Landlord, until we reach our true home in the presence of our God.
Amen.
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