For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming.
2 Thessalonians 2:7-8
On December 12, 2021, a friend of mine, the Rev. Nelson Rabell-González, was unjustly removed from his position as Pastor/Mission Developer of Misión Latina Luterana, a mission congregation in Stockton, California made up of Mexican immigrants, many of them migrant farm workers.
The bishop of the synod at the time made a number of false accusations against him and subsequently removed him from the clergy roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
The bishop brazenly chose to make the announcement at the church on the highest holy day of the Mexican calendar, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of the Americas and Mexico. The image of the virgin is a national symbol of Mexico.
That set off a long drawn-out battle which ultimately vindicated Pastor Rabell and restored him to his post, while in a dramatic turn of events, the bishop resigned and was defrocked.
It took nearly two years but through the course of the struggle, many people were hurt by the false accusations and attacks against the pastor, his family, and his immigrant congregation. Even now, the pain is difficult to let go of.
Like the early Christian communities that the Apostle Paul established, immigrant communities of today are often targets of oppression and violence. They become easy prey, as this country witnessed this past summer with the false rumors of Haitian immigrants eating cats in Springfield, Ohio.
In this Advent season, as we await Christ’s coming again, let us be instruments of welcome and truth. And as we promise in our baptismal vows, let us “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”
Let us pray.
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the people of this land], that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen..
