A Word from Pastor Nathan

Dear Friends:

As a pastor, it is not my job to engage in partisanship. However, my job and calling require that I interpret current events alongside the narratives of scripture. People are leaving countries of origin, including Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, because home has become unsustainable, unlivable, and violent. Traversing inhumane conditions to have a chance at liberation, families risk everything and request asylum in a foreign country.

The evening news reports and pictures of persons, especially children, who are living—if we can call it living—in camps along the southern border grieves my being. Hearing that children lack basic necessities such as soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, and a blanket is an indictment on us.

Given what’s happening along the southern border, how do we respond to these words: “When an immigrant resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the immigrant. The immigrant who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the immigrant as yourself, for you were immigrants in the land of Egypt: I am the Holy One your God” (Lev 19:33-34). We have a moral, ethical, and biblical imperative to extend radical hospitality to immigrants.

One gospeller tells of Jesus saying, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me” (Matt 25:35-36). The question of this narrative is not whether we are sheep or goats but rather how will we respond to the Christ who is incarnate in the minoritized, disenfranchised, and outcast.

Our denomination is on the scene at the border. Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries strives “to teach the love of Jesus Christ by building a renewed sense of wholeness and dignity and by standing with those who are broken, especially among refugees and those who are disenfranchised and displaced.” They embody the Good News by “addressing spiritual and material needs, including emergency shelter and food, clothing, transportation, legal aid, advocacy and job referral through a cooperative effort with other agencies and religious organizations.” More information is available here: http://swgsm.org/

Let us faithfully respond with action.

Toward liberty and justice for ALL,

Nathan