God says to love Who??

When I was younger I was a conservative Republican. I was even a delegate at the Republican State Convention in the early eighties.

I ask myself why conservatism leaves such a bad taste in my mouth now. Is it the total lack of love I see in their policies? Oh, they justify everything they espouse and wrap it up in the flag and Christianity. Slap on bumper stickers that read “God, guns and country”. Yea I am sure God is impressed.

Lately they have been in a rabid rage at the underage Hispanics fleeing Central America and crossing the border as illegals. 

They justify their anger and cries of "throw them back" by proclaiming these kids have broken the law and some of them are from gangs in Central America.

Yea I know that boy in the red shirt is obviously a killer gang member.

Do you really think parents would send their children off if they were not afraid for the lives of the children? Do you really think God puts National borders above feeding the hungry and caring for the poor? Read the Old Testament Prophets and see how often God commands to care and feed the immigrant and calls down judgment on the wealthy for not feeding and clothing the poor.

As for the excuse for sending them all back immediately because these kids have broken our immigration laws I remember Jesus saying if someone takes your cloak give him your coat also, that doesn't sound to me like others obeying laws has anything to do with how we treat them. So yea, at the end of time I don’t want Jesus to say to me, “I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was naked and you gave me no clothes. I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.”

Love those emergency foil blankets the youths are sleeping under.

 And I will ask Lord when did I see you hungry or thirsty or naked or sick and in prison? I have a feeling Jesus might say, “are you serious. Your wealthy nation had children streaming here to share the bounty I gave you and you selfishly kept it all for yourself. Away from me, you evildoer I never knew you.”

There was a police chief in a small town. Some of the upstanding citizens and members of his church didn't think he was doing his job arresting illegal immigrants. One day as he was sitting in his office four of the men from his congregation came through his door. Two of them had a Hispanic woman by the arms. They crowded around his desk and Sam, an elder in his church said “listen Chief, this woman came and asked me for a job. She has no ID of any kind and I am sure she is not legal. Now what are you going to do about it?”

The chief looked over at the man on the far right and asked, “Jerry, last week when I clocked you at 76 miles an hour on the highway south of town, all I did was tell you to slow it down and keep it under the speed limit. 21 miles an hour over the speed limit and I should have taken your license. That would have made it pretty tough for you to keep your job as a salesman wouldn’t it?”

The he looked at the man on the left, “Dave, when you fixed the plumbing in my house last year you asked if I would pay you in cash. I wonder, did you report that income to the IRs when you filed your taxes.”

Next the chief looked at the man holding the left arm of the woman. “Ralph, remember that car you sold last year. We all saw that thing smoking as it went down the street until the day before you sold it. Did you have any oil in the oil pan or was it all STP so you could tell that poor kid you sold it to that it didn’t use any oil?”

“Well Sam” said the chief as he looked at the church elder holding the right arm of the woman. “I know you are a righteous man and a leader of the church. Do these three men with you know that your oldest son’s birthday is only 6 months after your wedding anniversary?”

“Now gentlemen what was it you wanted me to do with this woman?”

The 4 of them left in a rage. I guess they didn’t understand grace. (John 8:3-11)