Christian Reflection and Prayer

There was man who liked to appear to be
full of virtue. As the story goes, he once
said to Mark Twain, "Before I die, I'm going
to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  I
shall climb to the top of Mount Sinai and
read the Ten Commandments aloud!"  To
which Twain reportedly replied, "I have a
better idea!  Why don't you stay right at
home and keep them?"

(DO YOU?)

(The Staff and editors of Sunday Sermons Online)

Election Day is quickly approaching. From the border
crisis to administrative action, immigration reform has
captured the nation’s attention this campaign season.
Unfortunately the human faces and substantive
questions of this issue are often lost among the
political barbs and relentless attacks. What is usually
missing from the debate over immigration policy is
any firsthand and honest understanding of those
suffering from the failures of our current system.

There are a few basic things Christians can do this
campaign season to enhance the debate. We should
refuse to accept talking points and push leaders to
answer our questions in depth. Few topics are simple
enough to be addressed by a 30-second sound bite.
It is also important that we raise the issues that matter
to us. Every candidate for federal office should
articulate where they stand on immigration reform
because this is one of the defining issues of our time.
Finally, our leaders need to be reminded that the faith
community is invested in this issue because of our
convictions about “welcoming the stranger.”

In a system that rarely puts people before politics, we
must do all we can to put the families caught up in our
broken system front and center this election season.

In faith,
The Sojourners Immigration Team

Scripture:

(Jesus said) "Even as the Son of Man came
not to be served but to serve, and to give His life
as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28

The Savior says He had been born into this world
to be a Servant. From His first breath in
Bethlehem's stable to that moment when
He gave up the ghost on Calvary's cross, Jesus
was motivated by a divine love for others.

In other words, Jesus considered your eternal
welfare to be of greater importance than His
temporal needs and desires. Winning your
forgiveness and salvation was what motivated His
daily life and took Him to the cross where He gave
His life as a ransom for many.

And now, in response to the Savior's love, believers
are given the opportunity to throw others a lifeline,
rather than cutting it.

(excerpt from Lutheran Hour Ministries)