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Written by Jack Haberer, Outlook editor
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Monday, 30 November 2009 06:08 |
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Many a story, many a poem, many a carol has been written about the experience of Mary and Joseph finding “no room in the inn.” For them it was no mere sentimentality that they had to eat, sleep and give birth in a smelly stable-cave. And that happened in their family’s hometown.
Imagine what it’s like today for those who can’t call your hometown their hometown, or for that matter, your home country their home country.
Jesus may have been alluding to his parents’ experience when, in speaking of the divide between the sheep and goats, he declared that the sheep are those who not only feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, care for the sick and visit the imprisoned, but also are those who see strangers and welcome them.
Most of our churches have caught on to the fact that the Christian mission requires us to pour resources and time into fulfilling the first five of those forms of service. But which of us opens our homes to strangers? Or which of us turns non-citizen strangers – yes, you can call them illegal aliens, if you will – into houseguests? Do we even see the strangers around us?
There still is no room in the inn.
It seems so strange to me that we American Christians have such a difficult time with this. Given that only five per cent of us have any native American or native Alaskan blood and less than one per cent (2.4 million) are pure native American or native Alaskan, you would think that the rest of us would share enough family memory to either replicate the welcome received or to determine to improve upon it for the sake of those who follow us here.
Yet the scorning of immigrants has become a national pastime.
Yes, you can say you don’t hate them, you just want them to follow the law. But as Julia Thorne asks (see p. 8), are we always to follow the law, or should we do what is right, legal or not? It was illegal to shelter Jews during the Nazi Holocaust, yet today we celebrate the courage of Christians who did so. What about sheltering victims of our unjust laws?
Our laws are unjust. Nobody in Washington believes our immigration policy is working. No matter where they stand on the political spectrum, all legislators know something needs to change.
What’s holding them back? You and I are. Our elected leaders are doing nothing about the immigration situation out of fear of facing a backlash from their constituents. The folks who voted them into office naturally look out for their own, and concerns for job loss, for drug smuggling, for crowded classrooms, for increased taxes, and fear-of-the-other trump all concern for the millions of basically good folks who have come here for the same reasons most of our forebears came: to flee poverty and to provide for their families.
Our denomination has called for immigration reform for years. More recently the National Association of Evangelicals has raised its voice. “Our current immigration system is broken,” said Leith Anderson, NAE President, on Oct. 8 after its board adopted a resolution calling for reform of the immigration policies. “Efforts to maintain secure and efficient borders have been ineffective and, too often, inhumane. Our visa system for legal immigration is antiquated, bureaucratic, and insufficient to meet both labor force and family reunification needs. Those who want to play by the rules, both employers and employees, often have no realistic options.”
In the case of Mary and Joseph, it wasn’t just the innkeeper who had no room. It was the government – given King Herod’s edict demanding the killing of firstborn sons. Thanks to a God-given dream, the magi valued this newborn child more than the king. By defying the royal decree they saved the life of the one who would save the lives of countless others. Sometimes we need just to do the right thing, like making room in our hearts for Jesus — and for those of whom he said, “As you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.”
— JHH
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My wife is an immigrant, and we know many immigrants. Our immigration policy is a shambles, but it is kept that way so that millions of people can sneak through our border windows to pillage our homes. Immigrants who enter legally are very welcome in this country. Thieves who steal their way into the country, drive without insurance, do not buy medical insurance, and send their money home without paying taxes in this country need to be recognized as the scavengers they are. There are many ways to help them and many policy changes which could improve this situation, but ignoring crime and choosing to support criminals over lawabiding citizens does not say much for you or the organizations which you represent.