Yes, wolves and lambs are everywhere
on our border, but instead of seeing this as a conflict or disaster
waiting to happen as the media does, Frontera de Cristo understands
it as an opportunity to live out the vision of God expressed in
the prophet Isaiah, the vision of the peaceable kingdom where
wolves and lambs love one another.
During the past two weeks, we have help facilitate the coming
together of over 200 wolves and lambs. Two weeks ago at our weekly
prayer vigil, we led a group of 35 youth and adults from two Catholic
Parishes in Colorado to the “dividing wall of hostility”
that separates our two countries. There we met about 40 youth
and adults from two parishes in the state of Sonora. In the shadow
of the twelve-foot metal fence, which the majority of the Mexican
youth cannot cross legally, we prayed and sang and witnessed to
our trust in the gospel that Jesus Christ is our peace who has
destroyed the dividing wall of hostility. The two groups continued
fellowshipping, eating, studying, playing, and praying together
for the rest of the week in the Sagrada Familia Parish in Agua
Prieta.
A delegation of 16 persons from Central Presbyterian Church in
Longmont, Colorado, arrived on the very weekend that the Minutemen
arrived. They represented their 600-member congregation who throughout
the last 15 consecutive years have sent over 200 people to share
a week of life and ministry with their sister church, The Lily
of the Valley Presbyterian Church. The folk of these two congregations,
who in the media would be portrayed as wolves and lambs, have
spent the last 15 years building relationships and understanding
across borders. They actively seek one another out in the love
of Jesus Christ and partner with one another in God’s ministry
of reconciliation.
We also had the blessing of helping facilitate the border crossing
of a group of Episcopalians and a group from the United Church
of Christ last week. Together with our six sister ministries,
Presbyterian Border Ministry brings together over 2,000 U.S. Christians
with our Mexican brothers and sisters each year for “Jesus
Christ is our peace who has destroyed the dividing wall of hostility.”
To be able to experience the good news of the gospel of Jesus
Christ fleshed out right smack dab in the middle of all the bad
news that the media is spreading fills us with great joy and hope.
The media has missed these events where groups of wolves and
lambs love and understand one another. The media has missed these
events where people who are divided by linguistic, cultural, economic,
political, and religious barriers come together to witness to
the peaceable kingdom that God is birthing right in the midst
of the violence and division that attracts their attention.
On behalf of the bi-national board of Frontera de Cristo, with
whom I serve, I want to express our gratitude for your partnership
and prayers. We are blessed with the privilege of being able to
share the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed and have
the wonderful joy of seeing wolves and lambs loving one another.
May the peace of Christ reign in your hearts and in your community
and may you find yourself eating and rejoicing with wolves and
lambs as God’s peaceable kingdom springs forth in the midst
of your community and church.
Mark Adams
PC(USA) Mission Co-worker
Serving on the U.S.-Mexico Border
Agua Prieta, Sonora/Douglas, Arizona
P.S. My family and I participated in a prayer vigil for peace
in Naco, Arizona, two weekends ago. While many of the locals gave
thumbs up or crossed themselves as a sign of solidarity with the
folk praying for peace, a car of folks associated with the Minutemen
passed and yelled out not so nice or peaceable phrases and gave
a thumbs down. Cindy, my 9-year-old daughter, asked me: “Daddy,
why do they not want peace?” After a pause and before I
could respond, she said: “Daddy, let’s pray for them.”
And a little child shall lead them….
The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.65 |
