After being urged by Bishop Curry to become more informed about Immigration Reform legislation and write our Senators, I have done so and urge you all to do the same. You can watch Bishop Curry's message here. After doing so, you can then write Senator Hagan and Senator Burr. I will also share the letter that I sent to them both, which briefly outlines why I believe that this legislation is good for our nation, good for Christians who seek justice and compassion, and good for the furthering of God's Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. If any or all of my letter would be helpful to you in writing our Senators, please feel free to copy it.
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Senator,
I write to you, as a constituent of North Carolina
and a person of faith who very much believes in the idea of life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness for all. I ask you to vote in favor of the
Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill, commonly known as the “Gang of 8 Bill,”
that will be coming before the Senate in the coming weeks.
Our current immigration policies are not good or
just, and they are outdated. It is clear that some sort of reform needs to happen.
What motivates me to write you is the fact that
roughly 83% of undocumented immigrants are Christians; they are my brothers and
sisters in Christ, and so this is a family matter to those of us in the Church.
I am reminded of the plethora of witnesses from the Bible that suggest mercy
and justice be shown towards the immigrant.
We would do well to remember that we are all immigrants
who have come here from somewhere else (Exodus 22:21- You shall not wrong or
oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.). And both
Hebrews 13:2 (Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing
that some have entertained angels without knowing it) and Matthew 35:40 (Truly
I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of
my family, you did it to me) remind us that as we treat our neighbors, so we
treat God. And because the Lord is our God, we are to act so that “when an
alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien
who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love
the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt” (Leviticus
19:35-35).
A pathway to citizenship is a pathway to hope. We
are all citizens of God’s Kingdom, and we pray, and are called, to work to make
God’s Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. This legislation at least moves
us in that direction. No one bill will solve the problem forever or be perfect.
But this bill is a start. Please, don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good.
As the prophet Micah wrote, our task is to “do
justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”This is about
justice that will roll down like waters (Amos 5:24), not Republican, Democrat,
or Independent agendas. I hope that when the time comes for a vote, you vote
with the people whom you were elected to represent in mind; and more
importantly, I hope your vote is a vote for justice and compassion towards the “least
of these.”
Thank you for your service as a representative of
the people.
Blessings,
The Rev. Robert Black
