And yet, and yet…

I really debated on whether I’d post over the tumult around ICE and the ongoing cultural war that seems to grab everyone’s hearts. But there have been things nearer to home that compel the conversation.

First some caveats that I hope to communicate to you: God desires that prayers be offered up for all earthly authorities; my community and family are better for those that I know who come from other countries; people who commit crimes should go to jail; our country has immigration laws that should be followed; immigrants are human beings and are singled out many many times in Scripture as deserving of our love, care and compassion; the Church and individual Christians have a mandate to care for the sojourner among us, and not doing so is a sin; believing that all illegal immigrants are evil or are completely innocent is foolishness that is used by political machinery to manipulate you into doing what they want; an unaccountable armed policing force has never been a good thing in the history of the world; the law and the governing authorities deserve respect and require accountability.

[Whew…OK] Let’s get to my real purpose in writing this article.

As this debate has raged on, in my suburban area the local schools had “walkouts” for high schoolers and middle schoolers to protest ICE. I have a lot of feelings on this as I have a daughter in Middle School and generally want my kids to be informed and passionate about important things.

But I hate that my child has been taught by culture that the height of pursuing justice is walking out. That isn’t protest; it’s exhibitionism.

The Civil Rights Movement changed the world with the idea of peaceful protest and those men and women that marched in Selma against the dogs and the fire hoses of corrupt authorities made a real difference for generations. But the truth is, the march and the speeches weren’t what brought the change. The change came when churches and communities began to connect with people different than themselves. It’s imperative to note that MLK was a Baptist minister and that much of what roused the hearts of a nation were the words of Scripture. Those words of Scripture spoke of justice, compassion, grace, growth, humility, power. The movement didn’t succeed because of a witty poster board, a profile picture change, acts of random violence, or walking down a suburban street. The movement succeeded because those passionate about it laid their lives down not just in protest, but in investing in the system, winning people’s hearts, and moving to change.

Our lives now have the aesthetic of movement, but not the heart.

Whether because of the barrage of tragedy that gets puked into our newsfeeds every day from everywhere in the world or from corrupt political systems that care more about your vote and wallet than the condition of your immortal soul, people detach themselves from real change. Instead of really investing and sacrificing for others, they make a sign and get into an argument on Instagram. And instead of engaging, they isolate into echo chambers that look and sound *exactly* like themselves.

When my daughter told me about the Middle School walkout, it made me tremendously sad. Not because of what they were protesting but because of the lie that these children have been told about what brings social change. They have been told that doing what some other influencer says (on whatever side of the political spectrum) and walking down a street is what it means to really sacrifice and serve for justice.

And before Christians jump on the dogpile here, don’t miss that churches are absolutely guilty of the same thing. I remember distinctly a couple of years ago a person pressuring me as a church leader to call for a boycott of Target for their political views. I recognize that a boycott is fine and proper for exercise as individual people’s rights, but what does that matter if you’re leaving church on Sunday to go eat at a restaurant forcing a person to work to serve you instead of supporting them enough so they can attend worship on a Sunday morning? What does it matter to the faceless stockholders that they lose a percent of their earnings, while hundreds and thousands lose their job for profitability? I honestly couldn’t care less about what a faceless, multinational corporation believes. But I do care about the cashier and if they’ll be able to make ends meet with their next paycheck. I don’t care about a stupid ad slogan that is designed to bilk me out of my money; I care about the heart and soul of the person who cleans the store.

So where am I going with this? Consider the following:

Friends, you are worth more than a political party.

The stranger in our land deserves the gospel, dignity, and respect. Jesus desires us to be stronger together, especially sharpened by those different than us.

Movements that bring real change require more than just a vote and a sign; they require your presence, your action, your heart, and most importantly your discomfort. Without sacrifice, there is no change, whether on the personal level or the national.

So as people march for change, I hope that they’ll practice compassion and sincere equipping for those who struggle. As authorities move to keep order, I pray and expect that they’ll humbly lay their lives down on the behalf of others to keep the law, not to inflict wrath. As Christians gather to worship, I crave that they will be uncomfortable with the lostness of their communities.

And as children watch the actions, protests, and justice movements of our time, I pray that they’ll see justice carried out with hearts illuminated by Jesus.

Signs and wonders, y’all.

“I hate, I despise your feasts,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
²² Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
    I will not look upon them.
²³ Take away from me the noise of your songs;
    to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
²⁴ But let justice roll down like waters,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Amos 5:21-24