Week of June 16, 2025
“Choosing the Lord’s Side”
Rev. Judy D. Cummings, D. Min.
FACTS
Arguably, since January 20, 2025, “America the Beautiful” has faced a moral crisis. And, as with all moral arguments, you must choose a side. Today, the moral crisis has culminated in government overreach targeting immigrants. Trump has revoked the temporary legal status of hundreds of thousands of people and expanded the power of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to viciously round up and remove millions of others. Trump’s overreach includes authorizing ICE to direct a network of law-enforcement agencies, from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to the DEA and U.S. Park Police, to assist the effort. Government overreach includes but is not limited to Trump using the Internal Revenue Service (Immigrants work and pay taxes) and the Postal Service to share information to identify targets. Trump has used federal powers to coerce cities and counties to cooperate with the mission and threaten to withdraw federal funding if they don’t. Working with sheriffs and local police departments, ICE has raided schools, parks, restaurants, and, sadly, houses of worship across the U.S., detaining some 82,000 people in a few short months.
On June 7, Trump ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell anti-ICE protests. In the wake of tearing families apart and deporting a child who has stage four cancer with no medicine or medical records, there is no doubt that Trump is testing the moral and legal extremes to which the government is willing to go.
FAITH
As people of faith, we affirm the truth from Genesis 1:27 that every person is “created in the image of God.” As image bearers of God, humanity’s unique creation and purpose emphasize the inherent value and dignity of all people.
The phrase “Choose you this day” is from Joshua 24:15 in the Bible, which means “Choose this day whom you will serve.” It is a call to personal conviction and commitment to a specific way of life, either serving the Lord or serving other gods.
The question we wrestle with today is, “Which side are you on in this moral crisis?
CALL TO ACTION
Our hearts are heavy this week as we watch the events unfolding in Los Angeles and surrounding cities. If you believe that thoughts and prayers are not enough, then it is time to act, to act in love. Martin Luther King said, Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of justice. In the gospels, we see Jesus who looks upon the hurting, stands with the marginalized, and speaks truth in the face of empire. Throughout the biblical texts, we see God standing on the side of the oppressed.
Micah 6:8 asks, What does the Lord require of us (now)? Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Doing justice means treating others fairly and righting wrongs, loving mercy involves compassion and care for those in need, and walking humbly with God means living in a state of reverence and acknowledging your dependence on Him.
This is not the time to close your ears, eyes, and heart and pretend that this moral crisis is not knocking on your door. This is not the time to grow weary in doing what is right. But rather, this is the time to speak up and speak out, to show up for those fighting the good fight of justice in Los Angeles and other places where immigration atrocities are taking place.
The mistreatment of immigrants and the spread of misinformation about them for political gain is a rejection of God and a moral crisis.
May God truly bless America, because we choose righteousness over hate, justice over evil.
Rev. Judy D. Cummings, D. Min.
African American Clergy Collective of Tennessee
References
Time Magazine
https://time.com/7291757/trump-deportation-ice-el-salvador/
Pastoral Letter Concerning Los Angeles and the Surrounding Area