Posts Tagged: reconciliation

Sunday, October 2, World Communion Sunday

You shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace. Isaiah 55:12a (ESV) While the legal community may anxiously await the first Monday in October when the Supreme Court begins its new term, those of us who follow the liturgical calendar look forward to the first Sunday in October — World Communion Sunday…. Read more »

Saturday, October 1, A Season of Peace

By the rivers of Babylon—               There we sat down, and there we wept               When we remembered Zion … How could we sing the Lord’s song  In a foreign land? Psalm 137:1, 4 (NRSV)   What does home mean to you? Home is at the core of a person’s identity. Home is a place… Read more »

Friday, September 30, A Season of Peace

When a foreigner lives with you in your land, don’t take advantage of him. Treat the foreigner the same as a native. Love him like one of your own. Remember that you were once foreigners in Egypt. I am God, your God. Leviticus 19:33–34 (MSG) What started as a fun family outing became my first… Read more »

Thursday, September 29, A Season of Peace

You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. Exodus 22:21 (NRSV) Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2 (NRSV) Displacement as part of immigration is one of the important lessons that… Read more »

Wednesday, September 28, A Season of Peace

I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Matthew 25:35 (ESV) I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2006–2008. During that time, I formed and developed relationships I still carry with me to this day. My… Read more »

Tuesday, September 27, A Season of Peace

Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” John 5:8 (NRSV) Migration headlines focus on people being “led forth in peace” to a safer home. However, not all immigrants are motivated by the search for peace. Many “go out in joy” toward opportunity. The joy they embody is not the joy of… Read more »

Monday, September 26, A Season of Peace

Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Matthew 10:40 (NRSV) This past January I participated in a Contextual Immersions J-Term course on Immigration at the U.S.-Mexico Border, sponsored by Columbia Theological Seminary. During the 2½-week course my classmates, professors and I gathered often on Zoom to connect… Read more »

Sunday, September 25, A Season of Peace

Because the Lord your God is the God of all gods and Lord of all lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God  who doesn’t play favorites and doesn’t take bribes. He enacts justice for orphans and widows, and he loves immigrants, giving them food and clothing. That means you must also love strangers because you… Read more »

Saturday, September 24, A Season of Peace

For you always have the poor with you. Mark 14:7 (NRSV) As a child, I grew up with the refrain, “We don’t see color.” It was often repeated by adults in my community who meant well, who thought they simplified the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s message for children’s ears. My parents shared with… Read more »

Friday, September 23, A Season of Peace

You shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace. Isaiah 55:12a (ESV) The author of Isaiah 55 is speaking to a people in exile and explaining to them what they can hope to do and to be once that exile is done. He is extolling them to keep hope and faith in… Read more »