Our first reading lets us see what it would be like to become migrants

Thursday, 8/12/16

In 597 B.C. the Babylonians took over Jerusalem, forcing the leading citizens to go off into servitude, taking with them only what each could carry. Today’s reading, from before that, had God telling Ezekiel to give Jerusalem’s comfortable people a foretaste of what it would be like if they did not give up their sinful ways.

God had Ezekiel acting out becoming a migrant. For all his wealthy compatriots to witness, he loaded him self with all he could carry, then, to flee from imaginary pursuers, he dug a hole through the city wall, and he crawled out.

He was wordlessly letting them know they all would be doing the same if they didn’t give up their worst sins. Sadly, they didn’t heed the warning. They all had to give up homes and possessions, heading off to the Lord’s know where.

Those ancient warnings are all lost deep in the history of the world, But we have many more migrants today, and it isn’t their sinfulness that is costing them their homes and all that has been dear to them. No, it is the sins of others that ar making them homeless.


All of us were raised with stories of German atrocities in Europe. Now, we should be thanking God and thanking Germany for welcoming millions of migrants into their streets, homes, and businesses.  

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