ICE: Minneapolis
Christians cannot put our heads in the sand and refuse to face the hardest issues facing our society and culture today. We are called to nothing less than engagement, the advocacy of justice, and the protection of the weak, innocent and marginalized.
In other and more shorter terms, that means we should care, feel emotions and Biblically process what we are seeing take place before our eyes in Minneapolis, MN.
The reality you and I both know well is Christians are deeply divided right now on the issue and topic of ICE.
We are tempted to fall in line with party lines, with personal feelings, and with our biased ideologies.
And I’m not here to somehow make a case to you that that’s wrong. No matter what side you are looking at this from, let me join you in expressing that it is devastating, tragic, and painful to see what is taking place.
But the heartbeat of Heaven could care less about your political affiliation. And I say that as a confident voter, one who has strongly advocated for my political values, and one who deeply believes it is good for Christians to be sound on the issues and policies and our contributions we can make to impact legislation.
Christians belong to a tribe that is called to a sacred protocol when it comes to really difficult things that play out in the world…
We are called to lead with courage, with Biblical literacy, and with hearts positioned to make much of Jesus in every single controversial situation in society we find ourselves tied up in.
What does that mean - what am I getting at?
I’m actually suggesting that you have absolute freedom through the conviction Jesus has placed in your heart to fall on whatever side you fall on when it comes to immigration, and how it’s being enforced in America right now.
However, I am equally and just as strongly suggesting that means you carry inside you the responsibility to take your positions, to handle your feelings and to share your opinions with the utmost salt of grace towards people around you concerning something you have little to no control over.
In a world that so desperately wants to scream from the hilltops the emotions we are feeling when faced with injustice or controversy, the Christian actually is not allowed to just fade into the noise and chaos. The Christian is called to stand out in such a way through their service, their presence and their adoration of Jesus that it pulls people from the fires of division and useless opposition to unity centered around the sanctity and value of all life that is made in the image of God.
What I’m saying is we cannot merely be a people lead by the initial emotions we feel when politics and the question of how to handle people who are indeed image bearers of Jesus comes knocking on our front door. We must be devoted to the authenticity of our faith that forges us into people of principled action, service, compassion and wisdom.
You can love law and order and support your federal agencies like ICE, and, you can serve and protect and love with all of your heart the misunderstood, the exiled, and the weak.
It doesn’t have to be one, or the other. Do not be a Christian that would dare take sides because the media forces at work told you to.
Be a Christian that dared to love God’s world, love His word, and honored His wisdom, commands and remnants with the utmost courage and tenacity and clarity of mind.
Be friends with ICE agents. Pray for them. For their protection, for their minds and decision making to be sound and with high value of all life. Be friends with immigrants. Pray for your undocumented neighbors. For a system that would make it more accessible for them to become legal citizens in America. That they would not be manipulated by systems, or by the cartel to do something dangerous and outside the letter of the law. Get on your knees and pray for your American leaders and politicians. For there to be a unity that breaks through party lines in the effort of how to handle immigration in a fair, law based, and human way.
Because of our current condition called sin, we are all contributors to the problem. While corruption and mistakes can be called out, a movements can advocate for accountability and humanity, the core issues will never be entirely solved. And that’s a hard truth to grapple with.
Don’t fall for resentment and grievance culture. Snap yourself out of that. For the sake of God and what He wants to do in this world through you, snap yourself out of the spell that living in resentment and grief does to you.
If you know Jesus, you have every capacity within you to look upon every ICE agent, and every immigrant regardless of their legal status with the compassion and care of Jesus. First do that. Then, trust the work of the Holy Spirit in your life and the authority of His scriptures to define the position you take, the views you uphold, and the actions He is calling you to advance for the economy of His kingdom and the glory of His name. To the ends of the earth.
