Who Belongs\/ Who is Free?<\/b><\/p>\n
Topics of citizenship and migration remain front page news, not only in the United States, but across the globe. Many factors drive this discussion, such as the reasons for migration and the impacts on both the countries departed and the countries entered. Even more fundamental to this conversation is the question of belonging. Who belongs in what places? What are the factors that affect belonging? Who is the ultimate authority on affirming or denying belonging?<\/p>\n
We must remember that this isn\u2019t simply a theoretical topic. Questions of belonging, and who gets to affirm our belonging, affect the day-to-day lives of many migrants of various types across the globe. When I traveled to Europe with my wife this summer, customs agents checked passports every time we crossed a border to ensure we belonged to an acceptable country and had not overstayed our welcome in their land. However, for many migrants, their global travels aren\u2019t simply for leisure. Many, like Miriam Vargas, seek a better, safer life for themselves and their families. Miriam and her young daughters have taken refuge in Columbus\u2019s First English Lutheran Church because the church saw their need for safety after Miriam fled Honduras when gangs threatened her life. As First English declared their building a sanctuary for Miriam and her family, they became part of a wider network of organizations called the Sanctuary Movement, that promises belonging to migrants seeking safety and opportunity in the United States. This is not an isolated incident, either. Hundreds of congregations have stepped up to support the Sanctuary Movement, while the ELCA recently declared itself a sanctuary church body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To the question of \u201cwho belongs,\u201d First English, the Sanctuary Movement, and a growing commitment across the ELCA boldly declare that, because God first welcomed us, all belong. The authority of belonging, then, does not ultimately lie with a particular law or a governmental entity, but with God\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To read more about becoming a sanctuary denomination, see this: https:\/\/elca.org\/News-and-Events\/8000<\/a>. You can also learn more about the sanctuary movement here: https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/some-churches-offer-refuge-from-deportation-with-sacred-resisting-11564927200<\/a>.<\/p>\n Discussion Questions<\/b><\/p>\n Reformation Sunday<\/b><\/p>\n Jeremiah 31:31-34<\/a><\/p>\n Romans 3:19-28<\/a><\/p>\n John 8:31-36<\/a><\/p>\n (Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser<\/a>. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings<\/a><\/p>\n For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.<\/a><\/p>\n Gospel Reflection<\/b><\/p>\n These verses, commonly used for Reformation commemorations, center on concepts of truth <\/i>and freedom<\/i>. Yet, before we considers those central themes, we must address the presence of slavery as an image Jesus employs. Jesus just throws the word slave around like it\u2019s a normal and appropriate thing. And while, for 1st century Palestinians, slavery was a common occurrence and a very different thing than the slavery forced upon African natives by European and American powers for hundreds of years between the 14th and 19th centuries, we can\u2019t read the word slave in the United States without acknowledging Jesus\u2019s metaphor has been forever changed by the oppression white people forced on black people. Especially since this reading appears on a day when we celebrate a movement started by a white European and there\u2019s explicit mention of slave\u2019s not having a place in the household, we should focus our attention on how this imagery impacts people of African descent and make explicit that the freedom Christ promises is for all people, including black people.<\/p>\n Jesus\u2019s first words help us see this importance, for he says \u201cIf you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.\u201d Jesus, after all, is the way, the truth, and the life, so knowing the truth is knowing Jesus. This is beautifully complex. It means that when we know Jesus, we can comprehend the truth of the world more clearly. Yet, it also means that when we encounter anything that\u2019s true, we\u2019ve encountered a part of God. So when we encounter the Pythagorean Theorem, a2<\/sup> + b2<\/sup> = c2<\/sup>, we encounter something of God\u2019s wisdom in creating the universe. When we realize the wonder of evolution, we realize the beauty of God\u2019s creative process that brings to life new and wondrous things across the universe over billions of years. When we engage the equality of humanity, we engage something of God\u2019s wisdom in giving every person the divine image.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To continue in Jesus\u2019s words isn\u2019t simply to read scripture. It\u2019s to live the life of love that Jesus teaches us. Knowing the truth who is Jesus means living the life that Jesus offers us. Despite the problematic imagery, his ultimate point is this: Jesus can offer us the fullness of God\u2019s gifts eternally because he\u2019s forever a part of God\u2019s family. So the freedom we\u2019re offered, the life that we\u2019re offered, the truth that we\u2019re offered, isn\u2019t temporary or limited. When Jesus tells us that we belong, that we\u2019re set free from sin and now a part of God\u2019s household, he does so as one with authority. The authority of our belonging comes from God, who has desires that all people be truly free. Because God sets us free, we all belong with one another and with God.<\/p>\n Discussion Questions<\/b><\/p>\n Activity Suggestions<\/b><\/p>\n Closing Praye<\/b><\/p>\n Lord God, you release us from the cuff of sin and free us to live a life that belongs to you. Shape our lives to reflect your freedom. Form our hearts to embrace your liberation. Empower us to share this gift not only with ourselves, but with all people in all places. We pray this in the name of our liberator, Jesus: Amen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Drew Tucker, Columbus, OH Warm-up Question Who is an authority in your life that you trust? What makes them trustworthy?\u00a0 Who Belongs\/ Who is Free? Topics of citizenship and migration remain front page news, not only in the United States, but across the globe. Many factors drive this discussion, such as the reasons for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/10\/iStock-1051098428.jpg\")
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