Mennonite Weekly Review

Later this month, Mennonites from around the country will gather in Texas to address the challenge of immigration.

Evans

For Anabaptists, immigration is part of our history. Many Mennonites can look to their family heritage to see the story of a people who were continually moving from one part of the world to another, seeking a place for their peculiar way of Christianity to be accepted. Our immigrant story gives us a unique affinity to the New Testament term, “strangers and aliens.”

At the beginning of John’s Gospel, we read that the Word was with God yet came to live among us in order to redeem us. One might say the Word immigrated to Earth from heaven. Jesus was an immigrant.

We follow a God who stoops down, becomes like us, serves us and saves us. And this same God in Jesus beckons us to follow him. What does it look like to follow the immigrant Jesus? To mimic his life within our own?

Recently, a local pastor told me of his plans to offer English-language classes for the primarily Spanish-speaking community surrounding his church. I wondered out loud whether starting Spanish-language classes was more appropriate as Christians.

Certainly, assisting immigrants to this country with their English skills is helpful for a variety of reasons. But what do we learn about the hopes and dreams, needs and sorrows of those we seek to serve without entering into their reality?

As my pastor friend and I continued to discuss this, we imagined the effects these Spanish-language classes might have on a congregation. For those who often live like second-class citizens, what might they learn about the blessedness of the poor when asked to teach their native tongue to others? What would the English-speaking congregants learn about emulating our Servant King if we took a seat at the feet of those who most often serve us?

The ramifications of Christians taking this posture in their communities go beyond economic and political concerns. They go to the heart of what it means to be human.

Immigration can be dehumanizing. Those who cross borders without proper documents are often referred to as “illegal.” Yet, it is their actions, not themselves, that are illegal.

In the Gospels, we see Jesus treating the undignified with dignity. He shows concern and love for those treated by others as somewhat less than human.

All this to say, immigration is something we can relate to theologically. It is part of a particular historical Christian movement. My prayer is that we can confess, as it says in Hebrews, “And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on Earth.” My hope is that we will tap into our collective past along with our identity in Christ and seek ways to advocate for humane immigration reform. My dream is that we will find creative ways to incarnate the gospel of our Servant King in each of our neighborhoods.

Jason Evans is a co-founder of The Ecclesia Collective in San Diego and part of the Center for Anabaptist Leadership in Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference. He wrote this column for Mennonite Mission Network.