Tag: Justice

A Biblical Perspective on the Treatment of Immigrants

For a number of years, we have witnessed quite a lot of political rhetoric and harsh treatment of immigrants to the United States, especially along our southwestern border. The treatment of immigrants, whether legal or not, was a biblical and moral issue long before it became a political issue. It is time that people of faith and people of conscience take back the narrative!

When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God. – Leviticus 19:33-34

Recently, the governors of Texas and Florida have lured immigrants onto busses and airplanes with promises of housing and employment in other states. Upon arrival in those places, the immigrants discovered they were lied to. Taxpayers have footed the bill for that transportation, making all of us complicit in the unjust and inhumane treatment of those aliens. We've also paid for solutions such as uncompleted and ineffective walls on the border, separation of family units, locking immigrants in cages, and sending National Guard units to patrol the border with no actual authority to do anything. Some politicians have borne false witness against the vast majority of immigrants by claiming they are mostly criminals or insane. In fact, the data clearly shows that immigrants are far less likely to commit crimes than our own citizens. In spite of claims to the contrary, undocumented immigrants cannot vote or receive benefits such as Social Security and Medicare.

Politically motivated disinformation and unjust and sometimes brutal policies carried out in the name of U.S. citizens have often been executed by and applauded by people who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ and who claim to be pro-family and believe in the sanctity of life. Nothing about these horrific solutions to our "border crisis" reflects the teaching of Jesus, protects families, or respects the sanctity of immigrant lives.

Many of those entering illegally are not simply immigrants – they are refugees, fleeing violence and/or poverty in their own countries. There are international laws pertaining to how refugees are identified and how they are treated. We helped write those laws!

Some immigrants have been tricked into paying for transportation into the U.S. only to be abandoned or, worse, left inside a hot container to die.

As you can see by clicking the links in this reflection, fact-checking false claims about immigrants is not difficult. It is incumbent upon us as people of faith and as responsible citizens to deal with facts and seek the truth.

I am not suggesting that we have "open borders" or abandon all immigration laws. But I am advocating for less political theatrics and more collaboration on just and humane ways to treat those who are seeking a new life as neighbors in our country. The Partnership for Central America is one example of how to mitigate illegal immigration by making it more desirable to remain in one's country rather than seeking refuge in the U.S. The most comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform legislation in a generation has been drafted. Political lust has prevented its adoption by Congress. What if people of faith took back the narrative to get it adopted?

Using human beings as pawns in a political game is cruel, un-American, and certainly contrary to biblical standards. The treatment of immigrants is a huge and unambiguous issue in the Old and New Testaments. Here are some examples and reflections from General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church. Feel free to share them and print them out.

Also, here are some online resources for gaining a deeper understanding of what is at stake according to several different religious bodies.

United Methodist Immigration Resources

Episcopal Church Migration Ministries

Interfaith Immigration Coalition

I hope you will give this prayerful consideration and, if you are moved to speak or act as an advocate for just and humane immigration policies, may God give you the grace and the will to do so!

Blessings,

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue

August 15, 2024
A Response to a Lawless Mob

Yesterday, the United States Capitol building, a symbol of our nation’s covenant to live together as one people governed and protected by laws, was assaulted by a lawless mob, urged on by reckless and violent political rhetoric. While we are relieved that order was restored in the Capitol, we can’t ignore the fact that a national symbol was violated and desecrated. It’s going to take some time for the soul of America to recover.

This event ceased to be about politics when the boundaries that protect our common life were breached. The work of Congress was interrupted by violence and intimidation. It was an assault on democracy itself and calls for a united response in asserting the shared values that bind us together. We need to remember that our liberty is upheld by those shared values, those objective standards that bring order to the way we live together.

Many of those values are enshrined in the Constitution, which is itself an objective basis for law and order in our land. I want to emphasize three that are essential for the restoration of our national life.

Truth – One value that is necessary for our life together is a commitment to truth. Lies and conspiracy theories have become so common that in recent days I’ve found myself wondering if, in addition to an epidemic of COVID-19, we might also be experiencing an epidemic of psychosis, with millions of people believing hallucinations are true. When a lie brings harm to the life or reputation of another, it is bearing false witness. That’s an objective standard that we believe to be given to us by God.

Justice – Then there’s justice. The classic symbol of justice is a blindfolded figure holding a balanced scale in one hand and sword in the other. The scale is for weighing the evidence with the truth. The sword represents the concept that justice can be swift and final. The blindfold symbolizes the philosophy that justice should be rendered “without passion or prejudice.” Considering only the facts on scale, justice does not let emotional impressions of the accused enter into the implicit equation. When our legal system is misused, when the evidence is lacking or false, when justice is delayed, our life together is deprived of confidence of fairness before the facts of the case and the judgment of Justice.

Trust – We also have to be able to trust our leaders and one another. Betrayal of trust wounds the ones betrayed and erodes something essential in our ability to work together and promote the common good. Trust begins with each one of us being trustworthy. If I want to be trusted, I must be trustworthy. Maybe that’s why in the Scout Law the first law is “A Scout is trustworthy.”

None of these objective standards requires a belief in God. However, those of us who do profess that belief bear the responsibility of the conviction that such standards are in harmony with God’s will. Living faithfully in accordance with the will of God is a way we honor God because in so doing we honor our neighbor. If you turn to the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21) you will notice that the first four pertain to how we are to honor God and the next six are about how we honor people. Jesus summed up the entire Law of God when he said, “The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31). St. John took explained it this way, “Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen” (I John 4:20).

For Christians, love is not essentially a feeling. Love is how we act regardless of how we feel. Love is how we behave toward God and our neighbor because it is the right thing to do even if we don't feel like it. There is an objectivity about such love. Love is real not because of how I feel but because love is of God. Love transcends my subjective experience and will continue with or without me. For my part, I'll hang on to that love. And, when I fail in love and let go, I'll grab hold again.

We can’t change the unloving behavior that occurred at our nation’s Capitol yesterday. But we can have an influence on the response. We can love God and our fellow citizens by seeking truth, pursuing justice, and fostering trust. And we can expect the same from those we elect to public office.

Let us pray.

O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(The Book of Common Prayer, page 824)

Blessings,

The Very Rev'd Ron Pogue
Interim Rector
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church
Keller, Texas

January 7, 2021
Sermon at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Jackson Hole ~ November 29, 2015

The First Sunday of Advent

Read the Sermon for November 29, 2015

Listen to the Sermon for November 29, 2015

November 29, 2015
An Epiphany From a Grasshopper

Gay and I are visiting at the cabin of friends on Ohio Creek near Gunnison, Colorado. Across the creek are golden aspens, the snowcapped West Elk Mountains, and endless blue skies.

On our afternoon walk today, I saw and heard some grasshoppers that brought back a memory from my childhood and brought on an epiphany.

My parents owned a sizeable parcel of property between Winter Park and Granby, Colorado during the 1950’s. I was fortunate to be able to spend most of six summers there as a boy. My dad built three ponds on one creek that flowed through the property and stocked them with rainbow and brook trout. On the backside of the property, there was another creek where the beavers had built dams, saving my dad the trouble.

Dad used to take me fishing in both of those places and we caught a lot of trout. He tried to teach me to fish with a fly rod but I got the line tangled in bushes and overhanging branches so often that it just wasn’t worth the trouble. So, we used bait such as salmon eggs, worms, and grasshoppers. The salmon eggs came in jars, which we bought at the sporting goods store in Granby. The worms and grasshoppers had to be harvested and I quickly learned how to do that. I was really good at it. My dad complimented me on my advanced skills and often suggested that I should go and employ those skills so that we would have ample bait on our next fishing expedition. I was proud of my abilities when it came to catching worms and grasshoppers and I understood that my role was significant.

Today, when I encountered those grasshoppers on our walk and recalled my days as a semi-professional bait harvester, it dawned on me that dad recognized an opportunity and seized it. Sending me for worms and grasshoppers with the promise of catching some trout with them was a very clever way to keep me occupied while he took care of more important business. It took me all these years to catch on!

Even though my task was pretty menial, it was certainly purposeful, a fact I never let go unrecognized after a fishing trip when we sat down to feast on our catch. We couldn’t have caught those trout without my bait. I still think those fish preferred my worms and grasshoppers to salmon eggs and fake flies. My contribution to the enterprise was extremely useful, though not very glamorous. The success of our fishing trips was the result of a joint effort. A little boy's bait helped a grown man catch fish and a family enjoy a delicious meal.

Each of us has a contribution to make to the rest of us. Some contributions are more glamorous and others go almost unnoticed. There are people who do the dirty work that others of us won't do because we are too well educated and too culturally advanced. Sadly, many people who perform vital tasks upon which we depend are rewarded with low wages, lack of adequate healthcare, and poor educational opportunities. Are there people like that who are involved in your way of life? Who digs your worms and catches your grasshoppers so you can haul in a big catch?

The Old and New Testaments are filled with admonitions that those who enjoy prestige and have more should not disrespect those who perform menial tasks and have little. Central to the message of the Bible is the truth that our lives and labors are interdependent in God's view of reality. God expects us to be mindful of how much we need each other and to continually look for ways to respect the dignity of every human being.

Daylight is fading now as I reflect on the epiphany of yesterday’s experiences brought to mind by today’s grasshoppers. This evening prayer seems a fitting close to these reflections at the end of this day.

O God, your unfailing providence sustains the world we live in and the life we live: Watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends upon each other’s toil; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (from The Book of Common Prayer)

Blessings,

October 7, 2014
Sermon at Church of the Good Shepherd ~ September 18, 2011

September 18, 2011
Proper 20A

Read the Sermon for September 18, 2011

Download Sermon for Proper 20A 2011

September 19, 2011
Love’s Second Name

Justice is something we get the hang of quite early in life. Children at play seem to have an innate sense of it as evidenced by their oft repeated cry, “That’s not fair!” But catching onto mercy is neither easy nor fashionable. We tend to think of the world in terms of them and us, dominance and vengeance, rather than mercy.

Mercy is resented by those who confuse it with pity. To become an object of pity is to be stripped of dignity and worth. But the mercy of God does not degrade, it transforms.

Mercy is not just a New Testament concept that entered the scene with Jesus. Actually, the word does not appear very often in the New Testament. It is found mostly in the Hebrew Scriptures. You’ll find the word mercy in the Psalms more than anywhere else. It means loving-kindness, God’s goodness and favor toward all people.

The Church has been entrusted with a great treasury of prayers. In that treasury is what is sometimes referred to as “The Jesus Prayer” – “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The form we are most familiar with is the Kyrie Eleison, “Lord, have mercy upon us.” The prayer for mercy is always a cry to the heart of God.

But, as I said, people were crying out to the heart of God long before the coming of Jesus Christ, who is God’s incarnate response to the prayer for mercy. They seemed to understand God’s mercy as all-inclusive and universal. For example, consider the words of the Psalmist, “May God be merciful to us and bless us, show us the light of his countenance and come to us. Let your ways be known upon earth, your saving health among all nations” (Psalm 67:1,2).

So, when you and I pray for God’s mercy, we are joining our voices with God’s people of all ages and stations in a prayer that has universal dimensions.

To pray for mercy is to pray for love, to ask God to provide for us what God knows we need. That is especially true in those times when we don’t know what we need.

In Matthew’s story of Jesus’ enounter with the Cannanite woman (Matthew 15:21-28), it is clear that the woman was asking for Jesus to love her daughter back to health. She had no idea what to do and nowhere else to turn.

Pope John Paul II beautifully expressed this understanding of mercy in his 1981 encyclicle, Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy), where he said, “True mercy is love’s second name.”

God's nature is Love. So, mercy is an expression of the nature of God. It is not dependent upon human initiative or activities but solely upon the divine desire to express Love for God’s human childen. It is the universal Love from which no force in creation can possibly separate us – not even our hatred and judgment of one another, or our own unworthiness.

Since mercy is an expression of God, the mercy shown by us to others would be an expression of the Spirit of God within us. It is still the showing of kindness or favor without regard to the merit of those to whom it is given. If mercy were deserved, it wouldn’t be mercy. If we withhold mercy from another because the other doesn’t deserve it, we have just destroyed mercy, judged the other, and, in effect, claimed that we have earned the mercies we have received. Such conceit and spiritual pride nailed Jesus to the cross.

One of the classic soliloquies of literature is that of Portia in Shakespere’s Merchant of Venice. Shylock claims that the pound of flesh he wants from Antonio is merely the letter of his bond, simple justice. Secretly, his motive is vengeance. In her speech, Portia adds the deeper dimension, that mercy is the seasoning of justice. “The quality of mercy is not strain’d. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven…Though justice be thy plea, consider this, that in the course of justice none of us should see salvation. We do pray for mercy. And that same prayer doth teach us all to render the deeds of mercy” (Act IV, The Merchant of Venice).

So, let us all strive to be merciful, to let the God who has been merciful to us express the very same mercy to others through us. It is the best way to show our gratitude and it is the surest way to open ourselves up to receive even more of God’s mercy. For rendering mercy requires humility and obedience on our part.

Where has God's mercy touched your life and the lives of those dear to you? Where are the boundaries of mercy beyond which you need to move in order to become a greater instrument of God's mercy to others?

What does the Lord require of us? “To love kindness, to show mercy, and to walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8).

August 11, 2011