|
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
(Mark 12:31, NIV)
Dear friends,
This letter may be viewed as political, and it is. I will be sharing some of my experiences in Washington. DC. Please remember that to be political is to care about the policies and systems that support our government and our citizens, our democracy. It is not to be partisan but to be human in the face of great need and distress.
This week nineteen of my Conference Minister colleagues and I, along with the staff of our UCC’s DC Office of Public Policy and Advocacy stood together declaring that “Love Has No Borders.” We gathered as colleagues to learn about issues facing our communities and to hear stories of the tears shed in our communities by people living in fear of deportation, in spite of being citizens; of hunger in the face of the SNAP program defunding; of the reluctance of immigrant church members to gather in their conference for fear of deportation, in spite of being citizens for more than 35 years; of the fear preventing people from accessing education services, healthcare, and legal support. Yes, these are political concerns. But they are not partisan concerns. If we are to be followers of Jesus, we are called to love and care for our neighbors, to be the examples of love and care in the world. That is our calling.
We, as colleagues, also visited the offices of our senators and congress people. We brought with us a prayer of hope for their leadership and questions about the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act (S.455, HR 1061) which seeks to protect our houses of worship, schools, hospitals, and medical facilities from ICE raids. We want people to freely seek the essential care and the spiritual nurture they need. So many of our congregations offer food support, legal support, spiritual support, and information about how to access social services and community supports. We need those places to be safe; to be places where we can share our spiritual, emotional, and physical supports to those in need.
We spoke about the NO BAN Act (S.398, HR.9240 which seeks to reopen the immigration pipelines for people who have been vetted and offered a path to citizenship, immigration, and asylum status. Some people have been waiting for years for their processing to be completed and now their programs have been frozen stranding more than 12,000 people already approved for admission into the US.
We spoke about the VISIBLE Act (S. 2212, HR,4687) which would require federal forces, ICE and Homeland Security, to wear their uniforms, display their badges and credentials, and be unmasked as they perform their duties, eliminating some of the fear that our BIPOC citizens and immigrants have about being snatched from the streets, from businesses, and from their homes and cars by individuals they cannot identify as federal law enforcement. As one Senate staff member shared, “it is essential that our federal law enforcement officials follow the law” as they go about their duties.
We spoke about the Equality Act (HR.15, S.1503) which calls for our nation’s anti-discrimination laws to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity in ties protections. These, our siblings, have faced more and more discrimination in the past months. They are beloved children of God and need to be protected by the same laws that protect others from discrimination.
We spoke with the staff members in many congressional offices, all individuals who are working without being paid during the government shut down. They were cordial, open to our words and our prayers (see the prayer we left with them), respectful of our positions, and took notes about our hopes and wishes. We thank them for their support and their continued completion of their work responsibilities without being paid. Whether decisions are changed by our advocacy, it is our call to speak out, as Jesus did, for the love of all.
I write all this to say that we, as followers of Jesus, have a responsibility to provide care, nurture, support, justice, and love in our congregations, communities, states, and nation. We are called, as Jesus states, “To love our neighbor as ourselves.” You also may want to re-read portions of Matthew 25 which calls us to care for the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the imprisoned, and the sick. My friends, we are called to be the caregivers of spiritual health, to be the advocates for the least and the lost, to be beacons of light in the darkness. We are called to proclaim that Love Knows No Borders.
Blessings,
Bonnie
A Prayer for Servant Leadership and the Common Good
God of all people and every nation,
We give You thanks for those who serve in positions of leadership and responsibility.
Grant them wisdom that seeks understanding,
courage that leans toward compassion,
and vision that lifts up the common good above all else.
In every decision, may justice guide their hands and mercy shape their hearts.
Where there is division, sow reconciliation.
Where there is fear, stir courage.
Where there is weariness, bring renewal.
Remind us all — advocates, leaders, and citizens alike —
that we are stewards of a shared hope and caretakers of one another’s dignity.
Let Your Spirit move among us,
that truth may be spoken with humility
and love may be lived with strength.
Bless this place, O God, and the people who labor here.
May their work reflect Your light and lead toward a more just, compassionate, and peaceful world.
In the name of the One who calls us to love our neighbor,
Amen.
| 
