Forest of the Plains

According to the church newsletter, the theme for next Sunday's sermon is "Immigration". Immigration is an important issues to be discussed within the context of church. I haven't heard it discussed in our current congregation, so I am interested to hear what the pastor has to say.

I learned about immigration issues as an 8-year-old. I learned that there are many reasons why someone would want to leave their country of origin and why bureaucracy and/or politics may not allow them to do so legally. I learned faces, names, and stories of illegal immigrants. As an 8-year-old I did not quite appreciate or understand the lessons, but as a 30-year-old I do.

Within my church I learned that the welfare of individual people is more important than any law, and I learned that as citizens of Christ's Kingdom, our allegiance is to God, not to a country established by man. I saw church members find creative ways to live out their faith, at a risk to themselves and their families, to support immigrants. While living in a very white community, I learned to appreciate the importance of diversity.

When we moved to Kansas, I was shocked by the hatred toward Hispanics or anyone who looked Hispanic that I observed. Not by everyone, of course, but even people who were not blatantly hostile still showed intolerance. For example, I would hear people grumbling about singing a Spanish hymn at church because "we don't speak Spanish here".

Growing up, I was told that Americans need illegal immigrants because the immigrants will do the jobs that Americans aren't willing to do. In Kansas I met people who felt threatened that the immigrants would take their jobs. I still struggle with how to respond to these situations because it's hard for me to get over the shock that the situations exist!

Intellectually, I want everyone to follow all laws. At the same time, I can't blame someone for wanting to better themselves or keep their family safe, and I remember the lesson learned as a child: as Christians we are called to love everyone. When I hear the debate about immigration reform and undocumented workers today, there are no black-and-white right-or-wrong answers for me. I wish there were!