THE LAND IS MINE

THE LAND IS MINE

(Leviticus 25:23)

"The land is Mine."

Before there were cities,
there was the earth.

Before there were deeds,
there was the gift.

Before there were borders,
there was the Creator.

The ground beneath our feet
has never belonged
to our ambition.

It has always rested
within the hands of God.

We arrive
as travelers.
We depart
as travelers.

Only the mercy
we leave behind
remains.

Yet we often forget.
We measure land
by its price,
while God measures it
by the lives
it sustains.

We admire
the skyline,
while heaven
looks toward
the sidewalk.

We celebrate
the market,
while the Kingdom
asks about
the neighbor.

For the neighbor
is where reality
becomes visible.

Not in reports.
Not in statistics.
Not in property values.

But in a face,
a name,
a conversation,
a shared burden,
a hand extended
across the distance
between two lives.

The Cross
crossed that distance first.
It drew near
to those
who had been forgotten.

It stood
outside the gate,
where suffering
could no longer
be ignored.

It declared
that love
is not proven
by words,
but by presence.

And so,
proximity
becomes
the proof
of mercy.

For mercy
does not remain
at a distance.

It walks
the street.
It enters
the forgotten neighborhood.

It crosses
the creek.
It knocks
upon the lonely door.

It stays
until hope
finds a home.

Then the city
discovers
its true foundation.

Not in towers,
but in trust.
Not in wealth,
but in welcome.
Not in ownership,
but in stewardship.

Not in what it possesses,
but in whom
it refuses
to abandon.

For the measure
of a city
is never
the value
of its land.

It is the measure
of its love
for its neighbors.

The land
belongs to God.
The neighbor
bears
the image of God.

And wherever
love draws near
and mercy remains,

the Kingdom of God
is already
taking root
upon the earth...

Pastor Steven G. Lee
St. GMC Corps
June 23, 2026

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