A few years ago, when the illegal immigration was beginning to have a dynamic impact on our American culture, I was still working as a Lyft driver. I clearly noticed an increase in riders who could not speak English. The more I encountered this phenomenon, the more I realized the opportunity it offered for relevant and evangelistically aggressive congregations to make a difference in their broader community by offering ‘English-as-a-second-language’ classes. Although this could have been done in the churches own facilities, I felt that it would be more effective if these classes were offered in a neutral setting.
Now we realize that our culture was flooded with millions
of immigrants who were struggling to find a means of survival in a strange and
complex culture. Churches could have
stepped into that gap to help. After
all, many of these immigrants were actually Christian people and families who
were routed to various parts of our country with no associations and few
resources.
Although my purview is strictly limited, I did not become
aware of any churches that took advantage of this opportunity to serve. Nor did I read of or hear of churches
offering this vital service to a needy part of our population.
Our holy scriptures include clear instructions for how we
are to behave when situations like this confront us:
Leviticus 19:33-34 [NASB]
“When a stranger resides with you in your
land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resides with you
shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself,
for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD”
Matthew 25:35 [NASB]
“For I was hungry, and you gave Me something
to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger,
and you invited Me in…”
Hebrews 13:2 [NASB]
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to
strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
Galatians 5:14 [NASB]
“For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word,
in the statement, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’”
However, for those churches – as well as us as individuals –
who did not respond to this language barrier crisis, there is a looming crisis
of even greater magnitude on the horizon today!
The newly installed Trump administration will inevitably
remove many of the support systems and funding programs that proliferated under
Biden’s leadership [whether or not we agreed with these funding
priorities].
It only takes a little imagination to recognize that there
are millions now living among us who will – as of today – be living in fear of
being discovered and deported from this great country. It is likely that these immigrants will go to
even greater extremes to be invisible and under the radar!
Ah, what a great comfort a church family could be to
individuals and families living under this constant threat of eviction
complimented by diminishing resources and the high level of disdain expressed
by the majority of Americans.
Re-read the verses above!
Not all of these people crossed into our country illegally. Many were processed at the border by official
border agents. They were, in turn,
offered bus tickets to major U.S. cities where – in many cases – they were
provided housing and even financial support.
Although President Trump is right in saying that some of these
individuals have been dumped on our culture by countries that were trying to
rid themselves of undesirables, that is not the case for all of these
people. Many simply saw that the door
was open to one of the greatest countries in the world! Why not try to improve themselves?
But consider the potential for church families to create a
safe haven for those living in this fear.
I’m not suggesting that we harbor these individuals and families. I’m simply suggesting that making inroads to
this community could allow us to be a great blessing to those who will now be
living in daily fear.
It is likely that we are all in agreement with a plan to
locate the horrific criminal and gang-related immigrants who have done
unspeakable harm and have proliferated the increase in fentanyl deaths in our
country.
However, there are many others who came simply because the
door was open for four years. Have these
‘strangers’ and ‘aliens’ been welcomed by the American Church? Have they been embraced? Have they found us to be a welcoming and
helping part of the American community?
You can answer that question by looking at the impact of
your own church…
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How many are hovelling together in cramped conditions
trying to survive this terribly frigid winter that is such a new experience
from these who have come from significantly warmer climates? How many are sorry that they made this
venture? How many long for the comforts
they may have left behind in their own homeland, but have no resources to
return? How many are struggling to
survive – or who will be with the withdrawal of support systems that have been
sustaining them? How many will now be
living in fear of ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents showing up
to brutally remove them from the small haven they’ve been able to carve out as
unwelcome visitors?
But don’t look for an overwhelming response from our
American churches. They’re too focused
on planning the Sunday worship service and maintaining the traditions and
distinctions that are so important. Like
it or not, it’s a VERY rare church in America that is actually acting on the
scriptures listed above!
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