27 Jul Justice and Hospitality

Greetings Westwood Community,

I’m getting ready for a family trip to France, which I’m pretty excited about. Vacation planning is one of my favorite hobbies, and I’ve been working on this one for a while.

We have the privilege of traveling as tourists, with the assurance of being able to come home at the end of the trip. As we prepare, I’m mindful of so many people who leave home under drastically different circumstances–asylum seekers, refugees, economic migrants, environmental refugees, internally displaced persons, trafficked and stateless individuals. People who cannot return home.

Global migration is not new; it’s certainly a part of our biblical story, deeply woven into the stories of the people of God. Today, we face specific and particular reasons for migration in our global economy, and in the midst of climate catastrophe. My heart breaks as I read accounts of inhumane border practices along our US-Mexico border; we have to do better. As Christians, we ought to ground our responses to the reality of the needs of migrants today in our values and faith.

I wanted to share some of the teaching of our United Methodist Church, from a document titled “Global Migration and the Quest for Justice”: “Christians do not approach the issue of migration from the perspective of tribe or nation, but from within a faith community of love and welcome, a community that teaches and expects hospitality to the poor, the homeless, and the oppressed. The Christian community at its best not only welcomes and embraces migrants but can be led by them toward clearer understandings of justice and hospitality.”

May we be faithful to the calling of our gospel, to seek a clearer embodiment of justice and hospitality in our treatment of neighbors and strangers, regardless of national origin.

grace and peace,
Pastor Molly