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The Immigrants Creed

Director’s Reflection

Dear Companions on the Journey,

There has been a lot of reflection recently in our national conversation about the issue of immigration. This thought-provoking piece came across my desk:

The Immigrants Creed

I believe in Almighty God,
who guided the people in exile and in exodus, 
the God of Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon.
the God of foreigners and immigrants.

I believe in Jesus Christ,
a displaced Galilean,
who was born away from his people and his home,
who fled his country with his parents when his life was in danger, andreturning to his own country suffered the oppression of the tyrant Pontius Pilate, the servant of a foreign power,
who then was persecuted, beaten, and finally tortured,
accused and condemned to death unjustly.
But on the third day, this scorned Jesus rose from the dead,
notasaforeigner but to offerus citizenship in heaven.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the eternal immigrant from God’s kingdom among us,
who speaks all languages, lives in all countries,
and reunites all races.

I believe that the church is the secure home
for the foreigner and for all believers who constitute it,
who speak the same language and have the same purpose.

I believe that the communion of the saints begins
when we accept the diversity of the saints.
I believe in the forgiveness of sin, which makes us all equal,
and in reconciliation, which identifies us more
than does race, language, or nationality.

I believe that in the resurrection
God will unite us as one people
in which all are distinct
and all are alike at the same time.

Beyond this work, I believe in life eternal
in which no one will be an immigrant
but all will be citizens in God’s kingdom
which will never end. Amen.

(by Revd. Jose Luis Casal in the Book of Common Worship: 2018. Presbyterian Church)

What do you think? 

And let us pray for/with one another.
Michael
The Paulist Center