Jesus was an immigrant

 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him"...... For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.  So writes Matthew, describing the migration of Joseph the Carpenter and his family to Egypt and about how we will be judged, not on our accomplishment but on how we live our lives and how we treat one another.

It seems fitting in this Holy Week of Passover and Easter that my thoughts turn to the spiritual.

I entered the Union Movement in 2010, but I was raised with certain beliefs that our consistent with the way that Jesus of Nazareth lived His life. Growing up I understood them to be Christian beliefs, but I now understand that they are the beliefs shared by all major religions and philosophies. 

Today, some criticize them as a "progressive or liberal agenda," but caring for the hungry, the sick, the immigrant, etc is not liberal or conservative, it is central to these core beliefs. Allowing people to go hungry, go without healthcare, be denied the opportunity to better their lives in a new land, are not a conservative agenda, they are an Anti-Christian, Anti-Jewish, Anti-Muslim, Anti-everyone agenda.

This week we remember that Jesus entered Jerusalem a hero, celebrated Passover with his friends, was arrested, tried, crucified, and rose from the dead. He was and continues to be a great gift to us. 

His life and his teachings are an example for us to emulate: Feed the hungry, care for the sick, welcome in strangers, everyone is my brother, serve others.

My favorite moment in the passion of Holy Week occurs at the Last Super, when Jesus moves around the table, bending to a knee before each disciple, washing their feet in an example of love, of service, and of leadership.

May you have a blessed Easter and Passover.