Dear City Life Church,
Our church community is a vibrant community made better by many cultures. Together we weave a rich tapestry and honor God above our many differences. Recently I’ve noticed vitriolic language making its way to the front of our media.
So then, how should Christians look at immigration?
The same way, we would look at any situation. With compassion!
Undocumented immigrants bear the image of God.
Throughout scripture there are myriad references to caring for the orphan, the widow and the immigrant.
Look at God’s care for the immigrant in Deuteronomy 10:
Yet the Lord had his heart set on your ancestors and loved them. He chose their descendants after them—he chose you out of all the peoples, as it is today. Therefore, circumcise your hearts and don’t be stiff-necked any longer. For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awe-inspiring God, showing no partiality and taking no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving him food and clothing. 19 You are also to love the resident alien, since you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt.
City Life Church seeks to obey all laws not against God’s laws and we seek to love the immigrant and show compassion to those in need. It is why we have a house with Haitian refugees. It is why we have a food pantry and clothing closet that especially serves those who cannot receive benefits as easily. These folks are close to God’s heart and we will serve them.
We also see God’s heart for the immigrant in how Israel was told to farm.
Leviticus 23:22 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap all the way to the edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the resident alien; I am the Lord your God.”
We have a great high priest in Jesus who even understood and could empathize with the plight of the immigrant and the refugee. Jesus was a refugee! His family was forced to flee their home to be safe from the tyrant Herod who was hell bent on killing children. Mary, Joseph and Jesus found refuge in Egypt until the tyrannical king’s death.
So, am I against walls and borders? No. Do I believe we should be allowing more immigrants and giving them an easier path to citizenship? Yep. But that’s my opinion. I wont use the Bible to make you agree with me. But the Bible is clear that Christians and the church should do our best to defend the rights of the immigrant and view them as those who have the image of God etched into their very souls. Your elders believe immigrants in our community should be treated with kindness and compassion. On this we will not budge.
Whichever side of the immigration debate you are on, I hope you depend on the Lord for supernatural compassion. Our friends (MANY IN THIS CHURCH) are afraid. Some may have sat next to you in worship last week. Many have been in this country for decades. Some don’t even speak the tongue of their birth country. Some were brought here as children, unable to give consent.
Imagine if you found out today you were born in a country with another language that you’d never been to. How would you fee? The compassion you would want extended to you, is the same compassion we should extend to them.
And if you are undocumented, I want you to know your church desires to legally protect you and care for you in whatever way we can. We are here to pray for you and we are here to help you physically. I am continuing to study our legal system and hope to find more tangible resources and protections for you. We must continue to pray and fast for God to change the hearts of our leadership on both sides of the aisle to bring about a reasonable immigration policy in our Country. We also need to continue to contact our local representatives and make our voices heard.
Your elders are praying for our sojourning friends and we will prayerfully stand up for them and with them. We love you,
Pastor Dale
PS. For more resources please check www.worldrelief.org