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Sometimes in order to care for someone, you have to break the rules.

Today’s gospel is remarkable in its familiar yet ever contemporary poignancy. The God of our ancestors and the God we seek and experience today, is a God of law and grace. Yes, there are commandments and high expectations which point the way to God’s way. There are consequences when we fail to love God, ourselves and our neighbor. I don’t believe we burn in hell for our sins. I believe we dwell on earth amid more fear, more isolation, communal and personal; and we, unbeknownst to us, miss opportunities to more fully know God.

God is foremost a God of grace. A classic definition of grace is unconditional love. There is nothing we do to earn God’s love. There is nothing we can do to negate God’s love for us. Mind boggling really. It’s a concept and reality that is hard to believe let alone trust. God forgives even the worst sin? God loves even the worst person? God’s grace as they say, is amazing. God’s love, God’s compassion, God’s infinite capacity to speak hope, … sets us free. Like the binding cloths of Lazarus and the stooped back of the woman, Jesus, through his nearness to the Divine, liberates the captives. Sing out a song of the soul!

Here now the gospel as we live it this day. Let’s call the story, The Undocumented Body of Christ. This reflection springs in part from an article by Sojourner writer, Tim Kumfer.

There is an immigration crisis in the United States. We have people, “aliens” to those unhappy about sharing resources, who are entering our country illegally. They are breaking the law. They are also risking their lives in traveling here to perhaps find employment in order to sustain their families. Documented and undocumented immigrants are once again radically changing the United States of America.

Several national church bodies and church leaders have called for compassionate immigration reform. These organizations include the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Council of Churches and the National Association of Evangelicals. Some church leaders and faith based organizations are outspoken in their support of comprehensive immigration reform. Some communities are establishing a new sanctuary movement. But wait, there is a dis-connect.

The leadership of these religious organizations and churches call for support of these legal and illegal immigrants while many Christians express support for harsh, enforcement only measures. Kumfer writes that the communication breakdown goes deeper than failing to educate the people in the pews about immigration policies. Rather, he cites the failure of church leadership to instill in its people a deeper understanding of their Christian identity.

The Mennonite Central Committee recently had a strategy session, Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. A speaker lamented how “many white churches fail to see the crisis as their problem, and how the discussion often breaks down into “us” and “them,” even when talking about members of the same church body.”

We belong to the Body of Christ, the church. We are comprised of brothers and sisters throughout the planet, members of denominations and various communities. If it matters, 87% of the undocumented Latino immigrants self identify as Catholic or Protestant. If we understand the Body of Christ to value all persons regardless of race, culture, age, abilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, faith, class, or voting record, our Christian identity has something to say about Jesus healing a bent over woman on the Sabbath.

It’s easy for me to imagine the serious and sincere debates which happened concerning the ministry of Jesus. Reading the accounts now, it is tempting to chastise the Pharisees and all the others that “didn’t get it.” However, the debates and issues continue today. Things are rarely black and white. Good guys and bad guys are the same guys; it just depends on the situation or perspective.

Let me share with you some blogs responding to Kumfer’s article.

“We Christians that oppose the illegal immigration of dishonest people into America [believe] that it is dishonest to support dishonesty…Dishonesty is something Christians should not promote.”

“Disobeying the government, so long as the government is acting properly, is a sin. Illegal immigrants are breaking the law coming into the U.S. without first asking permission. The only way that they could be acting rightly is if the law concerning entry into the United States is unjust. It is not.”

“Certainly the immigration laws must take account of the situation on the ground, which is why I thought that the recent failed bill would have been fine if it had been enforced. However, my question to you would then be, how would you advocate stemming the flood of illegal immigrants? Rhetoric about disparities between Mexico and the U.S. does not obscure the fact that no matter how dirt poor you are, you do not have the right to illegally enter a country, and the United States does not have the responsibility to let you in. Deportation is a just penalty for illegal entry. Of course, deportation must be carried out justly (tearing families apart noted).”

“It seems that it is okay for corporations to migrate from country to country and help (or disrupt) the local economies but it is not okay for people to respond to the changing economy by seeking better standards of living in new locations. If the laws perpetuate a systemic injustice, then the laws must be unjust.”

“I attend a bilingual and multicultural church where I worship side by side with brothers and sisters from at least 15 different countries or cultures. My church family includes those who are documented and those who are undocumented. Our daily church life – worshipping, eating, sharing, praying, has resulted in a unity and a special calling. We don’t hesitate to act on our undocumented immigrants, African American, African, Asian or any other brothers and sisters’ behalf … because it’s really our behalf.”

“People are strong advocates for rules that they like. When the law supports my opinion, I support the law.”

“There are two different kinds of laws. One set of laws seeks to protect our rights and to enforce contracts. The other set of laws sets out to protect and establish privileges. The laws making it illegal to immigrate peacefully to the United States are obviously designed to protect the privilege of those who already live here. There exists no rational explanation for a pluralistic nation to prohibit or limit the flow of immigration. There is no moral reasoning for limiting competition for work, wages, housing, production or trade. The only legitimate reason for opposing immigration is related to social programs. It is wrong for immigrants to move to America in order to enjoy social programs they did not pay for. It is simultaneously wrong for nationalized citizens to enjoy social programs they did not pay for.”

“This topic is very troubling for many of us. I am a W.A.S.P. and was raised as a conservative evangelical suburban Republican. I remember being opposed as a teenager to the Civil Rights movement because laws were broken. It took a change of heart to effect a change of mind. I admit that I think we already have too many people in the U.S.. I liked America and its small towns and manageable cities in the 50’s when I was a kid. I look back and realize that my adherence to legality as a prime issue in the 60’s had a lot more to do with my preferences than they did with ethical issues of right and wrong. I’m tempted to do the same thing today. What causes me to resist that temptation is the Biblical admonition to remember that we were all “strangers” at one time and to treat our neighbor as self. If I were to insist on raw legality as my primary standard rather than mercy, I would have to insist that the U.S. address all the broken treaties and land grabs and enslavement upon which our whole economy rests. I have no legal or moral place to stand and demand that this is my country with its own legitimate wealth and we will keep it for ourselves. I do not expect my beloved nation to ever be or aspire to be the Kingdom of God; but I do expect my sisters and brothers in the faith to aspire to Kingdom values.”

You see, the bent over woman is everywhere. She is in our response to Katrina. She is in our divorce courts. She is in the Holocaust Museum. She is among church leaders defending who is in and who is out.

She knows not to expect loving attention, especially on the Sabbath. For the Sabbath is holy. She didn’t expect Jesus to greet her. And lo, in their meeting she was healed. She was healed on the Sabbath, in spite of the Sabbath, because the Sabbath belongs to God.

Amen.

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