People say that the ICE agents should not be there and they should leave. It is true but the reason they are there is because the Mayor and the Governor are telling State and local police to ignore the law. The law says that when an illegal immigrant violates the law, they should contact ICE and they will deport him. No problem. However, since they are not contacting the ICE agents to pick them up in jail and are releasing them onto the streets, the ICE agents have to come get them. The agents are there picking them up on the street because they were released from jail. All they need to do to get the ICE agents to leave is follow the law and the ICE agents will be gone overnight. If it is that simple, why aren’t they doing it. All those illegal immigrants are voting for them because they allow the immigrants to live there, and give the immigrants free food, housing, education, and health care, even though they cannot vote legally. State and city officials allow illegal immigrants to register and vote in exchange for the free support. That is how they stay in power. In addition, all those daycares that don’t really exist but collect millions in tax money are doing so because the State and city governments allow them to. It is a pretty safe bet that a lot of that money is flowing back into the pockets of the mayor and governor and a lot of their friends in exchange for the State and city officials looking the other way. When State and city officials urge their citizens to attack the ICE agents and call on their citizens to prevent federal agents from enforcing the law, and then tell police not to interfere, they are putting the safety of their own citizens in jeopardy, as well as the lives of the ICE agents who are just doing their job.
Third Sunday of Epiphany-Jan 25
Luke 10:29-37 Get To Know Your Neighbors-One of the greatest problems to spreading the Gospel in America is the lack of contact between Christians and non-Christians. Even in settled neighborhoods where people own their homes, there is often little contact beyond polite waves over the fence and unfortunately, Christians are caught up in it as well. The best way to start is have members visit their neighbors to get to know them. Visiting one a week is not taxing but in five weeks will enable them to get to know the five families around them. We need to make deliberate efforts to spend time with our neighbors and get to know them. Visit them and take them cookies or a cake or invite them over for a backyard Bar B Q to allow time to get to know them. Do they go to church, if so where? Do they have family nearby to help in times of need? Are there needs the church family can help with? We will not know unless we get to know them. Others may have needs and not know who to turn to. Establishing contact enables you to help them find solutions to their needs. Many may not have needs when you visit, but as you maintain contact with the neighbors through periodic visits, the neighbors may experience situations they cannot handle and may turn to you for help. Since many families are isolated today and have no family nearby, a sickness, loss of job, or even death may require more resources than they can muster and provide an opportunity for the church to show Christ’s love. As Christ points out, our neighbors include more than just those who live around us. They are people we interact with every day at school, at work, and as we shop. We often see them but rarely take the time to get to know them.
Second Sunday of Epiphany-Jan 18
Modeling Christ When we read the Gospels, we often see the teachings and miss what Jesus does. If we read them closely, we will notice that He met needs as He went along. He healed the blind man, the crippled man, and the leper. He also fed the people. He did it primarily because He cared about them, but He also did it because He knew those needs distracted those people from hearing what He had to say. Until He broke down the barrier, they could not concentrate on what He was saying. By meeting the need, He not only broke down the barrier, He also built a bridge to that person. Those people passed many people as they traveled but those people were only nameless faces, soon forgotten. Jesus was someone they would not soon forget. He wasn’t a nameless face, He was the one that healed them or fed them. He was the one who cared when no one else did. We have become accustomed to the government providing all those services, but we forget that Christians met those needs first and only later did the government become involved. Now we have all but given up our ministry to the government and people worship the government instead of God. The prevailing feeling among many Christians today, as well as non-Christians is “The government is my shepherd, I shall not want, It maketh me lie down in a nice house, and It provideth me with good food.” Christ modeled the way we should live. Unfortunately, all we like sheep have gone astray.
First Sunday of Epiphany-Jan 11
Reveal the Reason- When my wife and I were young, we would go out before Christmas to see the light displays. They depicted all kinds of things from Manger scenes to Santa Claus scenes and many others. Today, there are far fewer displays, and most are just lights. They are nice to look at but not nearly as interesting. Epiphany reminds us that God cares for those who don’t know Him as well as those that do. Christmas is an excellent time to put up a display of the manger scene. Liberals have gotten them banned from a lot of public places, so it is up to churches and individual Christians to remind people why we celebrate Christmas. Children are curious. They may ask you, why do you have a display of people in the front yard? It gives you the opportunity to tell the Christmas story of how God sent Jesus to help us. Start planning now to be a witness for Christ next Christmas. Buy a commercial one or build your own. Christmas cards also give an opportunity to remind people why we celebrate. Now is a good time to get them because stores are getting rid of their Christmas stock at sale prices