People get stuck

Immigration can be a difficult thing. Sometimes immigrants get stuck in unhealthy behaviors. Wherever you find ports of entry by either land or sea you may find pockets of crime, and neighborhoods where unethical living is rampant. This is one of the reasons why people feel uncomfortable with immigration, because they have seen or experienced unlawful behavior. This is the case now, and it was the case 100 years ago.

A hundred years ago there was a wave of immigration to the United States from Norway. The hundreds and thousands of young sailors and immigrants arriving in New York struggled with a new found freedom and culture shock. In Norway the economy and way of life was more structured and organized. Large American cities presented new found freedoms and opportunities, but also a level of filth, suffering, and temptation unknown to many of these young people.

Sadly, many Norwegian men during this time were sucked into the shadiest parts of New York and were often found hanging around the saloons and dives, especially in Brooklyn. The Norwegian pastors and leaders in America at that time saw that there was a problem. Their own people were getting stuck in a bad way of life. http://www.naha.stolaf.edu/pubs/nas/volume20/vol20_9.htm

They Don’t Understand

This is an old story. When people leave a land they know a lifestyle that even if they found it oppressive don’t understand the new world they are entering. The people after leaving the slavery and oppression of Egypt didn’t understand how to live with their new freedom. There was temptation and the possibility of getting stuck in bad behaviors out there in the wilderness.

The truth is each of us struggles with a lack of understanding. We know only so much. We are able to survive with varying degrees of success based on what we know. This was true of Jesus’ disciples too. Today we remember the story of the transfiguration. Jesus led Peter, James, and John, up a mountain. They have a powerful experience of the presence of God. The disciples are scared out of their minds. They hear the voice of God, they see Moses and Elijah, and Jesus face shines like the sun. They have no idea what is going on, and are terrified. They don’t understand.

God Teaches People

Thankfully God doesn’t leave us alone in our fear and ignorance. God is in the business of teaching people. On top of the mountain when the disciples were cowering in fear, Jesus approached them and told them to, “get up and not be afraid.” God was teaching them that Jesus was at the same time so powerful and godly that it was terrifying, and their gentle and approachable friend. 

At least a thousand years before Jesus, God was teaching the people. God gave Moses the 10 Commandments from the top of Mount Sinai. The law that God gave taught the people how to live with their new found freedoms. When God teaches people, they grow.

People Grow

So about 100 years ago the Norwegian pastors and leaders in America knew they needed help. They knew