Christian Reflection and Prayer

Peace, peace, to those far and near,”
      says the LORD. “And I will heal them.”
Isaiah 57:19

 It’s easier to make peace with those far from us first,
and then turn to those closer to us.

Some of us carry around decades of resentment
toward the people closest to us, but can we overlook
a slight by a stranger? God is telling us to start by
making peace with those far from us – with the person
who cut you off on your morning drive, the rude cashier,
the irritable coworker. We can start by making peace
with those who are distant from us and next considering
those closest to us. With God’s help and healing, we
then will see peace in the world.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

(excerps from Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein)

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