Greetings Dear Reader,
The debate about illegal entry into our country is quieter
than in the past months but it is still there.
It is true that there are humans that have crossed our borders without permission
in violation of our federal laws. There
is no way around that truth.
There are those who would say that the border laws are
unjust. There are those who fight for
them. I am not going to weigh in on what should be done about the needs of people
on both sides. I do not want to ignore
that there are needs of humans that Christ followers may not relegate to the responsibly
of governments or social organizations. The
needs of others are our obligation if we feign to profess faith in Christ.
That, however, is not my focus today. My concern is that we understand that on some
level there must be aware that the law was broken. It is not sacrosanct like the laws of the
Father, but it still a fact that justice has been violated and must be
satisfied. This does not require that
put people in jail. It does require that
we address the law.
Please stay with me.
I am not about to propose a solution.
I am about to explain options that we do not consider. Most of the individuals who find themselves in
this country illegally were trying to make life better for themselves and their
families. Even that is not what matters.
One of the other options I see as viable is amnesty. It requires that we leave justice unsatisfied
and forgive the transgression of the law as it stands. That is not wrong in this case if it is done carefully
and well. It is not the kind of transgression
that removes our responsibility for compassion and mercy.
There are crimes for which amnesty is not an option. We do not set free or forgive the crimes of
murderers. Those who sell drugs or do purposeful
harm to others must atone for their crimes.
They must find a way to pay the debt incurred from violation of the law.
I do not care where you come from, this country raised
itself up with a standard of caring for those in need. It has always failed to live this out in some
way both internally and externally. Our
treatment of Native Tribes, Africans brought here by force, European and Asian immigrants,
our own Japanese citizens, and currently, anyone from South America reveals that
we apply the idea of sanctuary erratically. We do not administer justice beyond our
laws very well at all. Our love and compassion
are too often measured out by one’s social status or point of origin.
Then, we face the point where our personal need for amnesty
arises. We do so much that is in violation
of laws far beyond any government or imaginary border. We fail to live by the simple commands to
love God and love each other as a daily routine. We are in desperate need of amnesty for this
but the Father’s justice must be satisfied.
Further, we cannot atone for what we have done to violate his
justice. We do not have the
capacity. We are incapable of paying for
our crimes, ever.
This is the entire point of the atonement of Christ. He died once for the transgression of every
law everywhere. He made it clear that in
our transgression and in his atonement, we are all equal. He does not care where we come from or how we
got there. He cares that we see his
love for us and accept his payment on our behalf in faith.
Everything about time is geared toward getting us back in
harmony with that which is ultimately good.
This is beyond what we call good.
It is the good that flowed through the world before we began to
transgress the universal laws of love.
It is the Father expressing his love for us no matter who we are or what
we have done. That, Dear Reader, is what
this is all about.
The focus is not condemnation because we have done wrong. It is the idea of getting us back to
at-one-ment with the Father. It is in
love, creating unity again that satisfies his justice when we cannot. The moment we think that we can accomplish this
or limit who has access to it, we are more in need of the amnesty of the atonement
than ever. Thoughts?
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every
writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a
homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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