Illegal to be a Christian?
If you were accused of being a Christian,
would there be enough evidence to convict you?
That was the 1970’s version of today’s “What Would Jesus Do?”
There is a bill before Congress right now that would make it illegal to practice our Christian duty to help our neighbors. Remember how Jesus told us that we would be judged on how well we fed the hungry, gave clean water to the thirsty, and welcomed the stranger amongst us in Matthew 25? Well, this bill would make it illegal to do any of that without first verifying that the person is in the country legally.
We need real immigration law reform, but this plan is not the right one for our country. Last Sunday, almost a thousand members of our parish filled out postcards asking Senator Diane Feinstein, who serves on the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, to reject the bill, currently called HR 4437.
Other churches in our deanery also gathered postcards the same weekend. Together we might be able to make our voices heard. (See book review of Horton Hears a Who, by Dr. Seus.) We also need to get our neighbors and friends to express our concern so Congress can hear that we are not willing to stop following Jesus, feeding the hungry, providing clean water for the thirsty, and welcoming the stranger amongst us. That is what we are called to do, and that is how we will be judged.