Pastor Matthew Best
2 min readDec 28, 2022

--

James, thanks for your comments. The event at the Cathedral and on the West Lawn of the Capitol happened before the political stunt that put lives in danger. I know of the stunt you are talking about. It was very upsetting and disturbing. I'm at a loss for words. When I witness such horrific acts, I often question if I worship the same Jesus because I'm not convinced at this point given the actions.

Here's what I wrote in response to what the governor did:

"Christmas is a season of 12 days. During this season it is appropriate to ask those in power, especially those who claim to follow Jesus, some questions. To the governor who decided sending migrants on bus away from your care to be someone else's problem in order to make a statement, I have to ask these questions. Maybe I should send these questions on a bus to the Governor's mansion though, so that he'll actually get them.

- If you call yourself a follower of Jesus, then please explain how this action is Christlike? You'll have as much time as you like to explain yourself.

- Why do you feel you can ignore Jesus' call to followers to welcome strangers by sending migrants away, especially on a cold night, and on the night before we celebrate the Savior's birth - the very savior that you would claim if you claim to be a Christian.

- Is this really the best way to deal with immigration in our nation regardless of one's belief about the issue? Please explain to me how shipping people off somewhere else isn't just dehumanizing people and turning them into political pawns for partisan gain? Governor, do you even see these migrants as people, having stories, names, lives? Why not do something to improve these people's lives and make a positive impact on their lives instead of treating them with cruelty? Or is that the point?"

--

--

Pastor Matthew Best
Pastor Matthew Best

Written by Pastor Matthew Best

My name is Matthew Best. I’m an ELCA (Lutheran) pastor who attempts to translate church and churchy stuff into everyday language.

Responses (1)