“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35)
As Christians, the call to love God is tied closely to the call to love our neighbor – the hungry, the thirsty, and the stranger. In this time, when many of our immigrant neighbors, members, and churches feel especially vulnerable, we want you to know that we are with you. And we want to provide some resources and support as we all work together to love God and love our neighbor.
In January, the White House began rolling out executive orders targeting immigrants in our communities and expanding the reach of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, delivering on campaign promises to target immigrant communities and launch mass deportation efforts across the country. The Administration also rescinded a policy that protected certain spaces from immigration enforcement, including schools, hospitals, and churches – a move inconsistent with the rights of all people to freedom of religion and undermining the ministry of communities called to love the neighbor, the stranger, and the immigrant. These moves are raising many questions and causing much anxiety for those most at risk, including some of our communities.
The ELCA’s Social Message on Immigration reminds us that “…hospitality for the uprooted is a way to live out the biblical call to love the neighbor in response to God’s love in Jesus Christ.” Trusting that God is near us as we stand together, we draw on the words of scripture: “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the stranger as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God,” (Leviticus 19:34) and “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25: 35).
While there is a lot that we cannot control and right now, the world feels particularly out of our control, the invitation is to remember those things we can we control.
- We can slow down enough to breathe, focusing our attention, resting and eating, weeping and laughing. We can take care to pace ourselves for this marathon, avoiding frenetic reactivity and leaning into the steadfast and radical love we know in Christ Jesus.
- We can respond as our contexts necessitate: listening deeply, hearing our neighbors’ joy and pain, proclaiming the gospel, raising a voice, writing a letter, gathering community, resisting the numbing of apathy, amplifying joy, and stepping out in the name of love even when it calls us to do something beyond our comfort.
- We can show up - this can be a really isolating time for our immigrant leaders and congregations, so be sure to connect with your neighboring colleagues about how you can show up alongside them in meaningful and helpful ways.
In his letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul reminds us that “…the body does not consist of one member but of many…If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it” (1 Corinthians 14, 26). We are church together, and as the Minneapolis Area Synod we will strive to support and accompany each other in love.