Thought for Today

Genesis 12:10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to reside there as an alien, for the famine was severe in the land.   

Exodus 12:49 there shall be one law for the native and for the alien who resides among you.

Mark 3:35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."

Luke 10:27 He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."

“Chaos slams immigration court” (Banner headline, Boston Globe, September 19, 2026)

Is there a more volatile issue in general discourse in the U.S.A. than immigration? Well, several come to mind that are equally volatile and divisive, but none more so than immigration.

If you are reading this to find the ‘right’ answer, the ‘right’ side to support or the ‘right’ side for Christians to support, good luck! Joni Mitchell famously sang Both Sides Now which included the last 2 stanzas, “I’ve looked at life from both sides now/From win and lose and still somehow/It’s life illusions I recall/ I really don’t know life at all. I’ve looked at life from both sides now /From up and down and still somehow/ It’s life’s illusions I recall/I really don’t know life at all.”

I feel the same way about the subject of our nation’s immigration issue. I believe every nation has the right to set its own standards and definitions for citizenship. Our Founding Fathers declared, “"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." (Declaration of Independence) The 14th Amendment of our Constitution reads,” Section 1 All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

We have established the definition of citizen, the requirements for citizenship and the various ways in which individuals can become citizens. That is our right and privilege as a nation.

However, I spent the majority of my life living in one of our nation’s southern, border states. I am fully cognizant of the vast numbers of people crossing our southern border legally and illegally. I am fully aware of the burdens being levied on our border states, especially the southern border states, by the vast numbers of those crossing our borders. I am fully aware of the financial and emotional burden on individuals and families living along and near our borders. I understand the costs associated with providing for and policing those waiting for their turn in line to enter into the naturalization process.

As a Christian and especially as a minister, I am conscious of having one foot in the civil arena and one foot in the spiritual arena. I am a citizen of the U.S.A. I am an ordained minister. How am I to balance my life in this time, in this land, and in view of this issue? Jesus tells me, “Mark 12:17 . . . ‘Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's.’ And they were utterly amazed at him.” Simultaneously, Jesus says to me, “ Luke 10:27 . . .’You shall love . . .  your neighbor as yourself.’"

Is there a conflict? Should there be a conflict? Like the song says, “I’ve looked at life from both sides now/From win and lose and still somehow/It’s life illusions I recall/ I really don’t know life at all. I’ve looked at life from both sides now /From up and down and still somehow/ It’s life’s illusions I recall/I really don’t know life at all.”

The only advice I can offer to anyone (including myself) is to think about this problem and everything else in life in terms of love. Remember, irrespective of citizenship, nationality, ethnicity, party affiliation or any other consideration, we are all children of the same loving Creator God. So too are all those on the other side of every issue. Like another verse of Both Sides Now suggests, we too should “look at love from both sides now.” 

Listen, love, trust  God,

Pastor Ray