Sermon for September 26th, 2026

1 Corinthians 13:8-13 (NT p.175)

8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9 For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10 but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

Hebrews 11:8-16 (NT p.225)

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, ‘as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.’ 13 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, 14 for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

Journey to a New Home: Stories of Migration. Part II - Ricardo and Sandra's Story

Ricardo Mora, as many of you know, is currently serving as the president and CEO of the El Paso Chamber of Commerce. He and his wife Sandra have each started and run successful businesses and charities on both sides of our border. But among all the prestigious titles and honors they could both claim, here at First Presbyterian Church, they have a far, far more important role: They are Romina's parents. Romina attended preschool here, and sings and plays the keyboard in our praise band. More recently, we commissioned her as one of our Student Worship Leaders--so we are blessed to hear from Romina just about every Sunday morning. Today, we're letting her parents have a turn.

Sandra (Romina's mom) was born and raised in Ciudad Juarez, as the middle child among seven. She studied communications in college, and at twenty years old, she and her sister started their first business together. Her career eventually took her into advertising, museum exhibitions, and film production, with work in Juarez, Mexico City, and Acapulco. She loved to travel, loved the arts, and eventually owned her own advertising agency. So the entrepreneurial spirit in this family certainly doesn’t belong to just one person.

Ricardo (Romina's dad) was born here in El Paso, but grew up mostly in Juarez, crossing the border to attend school at St. Patrick's. He went to the New Mexico Military Institute for high school, where one of his early business ventures was selling hot dogs cooked in a coffee pot to his hungry classmates. After high school, Ricardo returned to Juarez and commuted to UTEP, studying business. But this time, he ditched the coffee pot and the hot dogs and got into cell phones--back when those were a brand new phenomenon--and eventually that business grew so big that he left college in order to run it. Years later, he finished his degree, while continuing to build multiple businesses in both countries.

Sandra and Ricardo's stories first came together in 1997, when Sandra was working in advertising and Ricardo was one of her clients. Their careers took them in completely different directions for several years, until one day Ricardo called her up again. They started talking, eventually started dating, and after four years together, they married in 2009.

Around that same time, they decided to make their home here in El Paso, where Romina was born. Sandra describes herself these days as seventy percent mom and thirty percent businesswoman. She and Ricardo have continued working together in their businesses on both sides of the border, with Ricardo focusing on technology and cross-border development, and Sandra bringing her own experience in communications and marketing. In 2014 (while Romina was here at the preschool!) Ricardo and his partners bought the old United States consulate building in Juarez and transformed it into the Technology Hub--a place where people could develop ideas and start businesses.

So basically, even as Sandra and Ricardo built a home and a family here in El Paso, Juarez never stopped being part of their everyday lives. Sandra’s brothers and sisters still live there, and Romina visits her grandmother there every weekend.

For the past two Sundays, we’ve heard about journeys that crossed oceans and covered thousands of miles. Today’s story reminds us that stories of migration can also unfold over a much shorter distance, still spanning multiple decades, countries, and cultures. And sometimes, to understand that kind of journey, you need to hear from two people who are making it together.

Please welcome Sandra and Ricardo.

1. Many people imagine migration between the United States and Mexico as a one-way journey North. But Ricardo, your father moved from the US to Juarez, and Sandra, your grandparents were also born in the US but found their way to Juarez. How did your families come to call Mexico home?
2. What are some of your favorite memories of growing up in Juarez, and what was it like crossing over into El Paso in the 1980s?
3. As a family, you have made your home in El Paso, but Juarez is still very much part of your everyday lives. When someone asks you where home is... how do you answer?
4. Tell us about your charitable work with Fundacion Axcel and Ciudad del Niño? How can people in our community support that work?
5. Sandra, the verse from 1 Corinthians 13 is one of your favorites. Would either of you like to say more about how faith, hope, or love have been part of your journey?

In Sandra’s passage from 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul describes growing from childhood into adulthood, growing from partial understanding toward someday seeing things more fully. Even those of us who stay largely in one place--we still have journeys to make, growing to do. Ricardo and Sandra have built a life together, become parents, and learned to call more than one place home. Loving El Paso hasn’t required them to stop loving Juarez. And through all those changes, Paul reminds us of the things that don't change: Faith, Hope and Love abide. And Love never ends.

Hebrews 11 takes that journey a little further. It describes how Abraham and his family lived by faith, looking toward a heavenly homeland, a city prepared by God. That gives all of us--migrants and non-migrants alike--another answer to the question, “Where is home?” We can cherish the places we come from and the places where we settle, while still recognizing that our ultimate home is with God.

And that hope gives us something to do--something to work for--here, on this side of life. I keep thinking about the Technology Hub in Juarez, and the old consulate—a place that was once part of millions of journeys of migration. Now that old place is full of new life and a completely different (but related) purpose. Caring for our neighbors can take different forms. Sometimes we welcome people at the end of their journey to a new home. Sometimes we help them start a new journey and flourish right in the community they already love.

Over these past three weeks, Majd, Joseph, Ricardo and Sandra have shared different journeys. I hope hearing their stories makes all of us more willing to listen to the next person whose journey we don’t yet understand. I hope these stories make us just a little more open to inviting a new neighbor to the table, or rolling up our sleeves and jumping into the work that others--like Sandra and Ricardo--are already doing. Mostly though, I hope you see that God's story is reflected in each of these stories, and in your own story, your own journey, too. Look for it, and you will find it. Look for God's story in your neighbor's story--whether it's your neighbor across the ocean or across the bridge or across the street.