Another thought occurs to me as I consider how rapidly our country is changing through immigration: What if God’s intention in the hyper-diversification of our country is akin to what happened when the Romans sacked Jerusalem in 70 A.D.? Historians question whether the message of the early Christians, without the presence of the Romans, would have spread beyond the local setting of Jerusalem. What if the present situation in the United States is just another accelerated opportunity to bring good news to people who are more than ready to hear it?
I believe it with all my heart: If we spend all our time and energy on the policy discussion, and never reorient our perspective and realign our congregations to engage with actual immigrants and their actual circumstances, we may miss out on the extraordinary opportunity that God has placed in front of us.
Or perhaps this is a backward way of thinking. What if God is sending the huddled masses here to meet our yearning? What if His Gospel cannot go forward right here in our own communities until we remember our alien status in this world, until we experience God’s love for all His people everywhere?
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