Dear Siblings in Christ,

As we step into this season after the Epiphany, our lectionary quickly moves us from the journey of the magi to the baptism of Jesus. We would be remiss, however, were we to not note the journey of the Holy Family that speaks powerfully to our shared calling as followers of Christ.

(Photo from AdobeStock)

We must remember how Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus fled to Egypt, seeking refuge from violence and persecution. We must pay attention to how they became strangers in a foreign land, reliant on the hospitality and compassion of others.

Take a moment in worship and small groups to elevate how when the time came and it was safe for them to return, the Holy Family settled in Nazareth, where Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, preparing for the moment he would step into the Jordan River to be baptized. Recall how in his baptism, Jesus identified with the vulnerable, the weary, and the displaced, claiming his identity as God’s beloved and beginning his mission to proclaim good news to the poor, release to the captives, and freedom for the oppressed.

Reflecting on Jesus’ story through this lens brings us to a place of application—seeing how the plight of migrants, immigrants, and refugees in our midst today calls us to live out this same mission with urgency and love. As a church, we are called to welcome the stranger, remembering that in doing so, we welcome Christ himself (Matthew 25:35).

Recently, the Council of Bishops shared a letter that included the following reflection, “For decades, a broken immigration system in the U.S. has kept migrants, immigrants, and refugees in this country living in the shadows of society in a state of perpetual fear. They have come to the U.S. under forced circumstances—fleeing extreme poverty, hunger, political and religious persecution, war, cartel and gang violence, and the severe impact of climate change. Some are actively recruited by large U.S. companies who need their labor. Yet migrants, immigrants, and refugees help to sustain the U.S. economy, serve our families, care for our children and our elderly, clean our homes, landscape our properties, build our roads and the houses we live in, and cultivate and pick the crops that feed our families. They are our neighbors, our friends, and members and pastors of our churches.”

In this moment in history, we are called to remember the part of the Jesus story that tells when he and his family fled in fear, became refugees, and made home in a foreign land. We are called to note that there are times then and now where it is not safe to be a stranger in a foreign land—even if the land of which we speak is where we call home. 

As we build beloved community with the migrants, immigrants, and refugees in our midst, we must be reminded of our baptismal vows and to embody the light of Christ in a world darkened by division, hatred, and fear—paying particular attention to the “Renunciation of Sin and Profession of Faith”:

1. Renunciation of Sin
“Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?”
(Response: “I do.”)

2. Acceptance of God’s Grace
“Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?”
(Response: “I do.”)

3. Profession of Christ as Savior
“Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the Church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races?”
(Response: “I do.”)

The Social Principles speak to contemporary world issues from a sound biblical and theological foundation. (photo courtesy of Cokesbury.com)

Dear ones, The Council of Bishops has called us to live out our baptismal vows and live into the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church. These principles include:

• Affirming the dignity, worth, and rights of migrants, immigrants, and refugees.
• Recognizing that displaced people are particularly vulnerable as their in-between status often provides them with few protections and benefits, leaving them open to exploitation, violence, and abuse.
• Urging one another to welcome migrants, refugees, and immigrants into our congregations, providing concrete support to them, including help navigating restrictive and often lengthy immigration policies, and assistance with securing food, housing, education, employment, and other kinds of support.
• Opposing all laws and policies that attempt to criminalize, dehumanize, or punish displaced individuals and families based on their status as migrants, immigrants, or refugees.
• Decrying attempts to detain displaced people and hold them in inhumane and unsanitary conditions.
• Challenging policies that call for the separation of families, especially parents and minor children.
• Opposing the existence of for-profit detention centers that are used for the purpose of detaining migrants, immigrants, and refugees, including minor children.

Across the Dakotas-Minnesota Episcopal Area, let us join the invitation of the Council of Bishops who have called upon the people of The United Methodist Church “to pray for migrants, immigrants, and refugees among us and to welcome them with the fullness of Christian love, remembering that as we welcome these, our brothers and sisters, we welcome Jesus our Lord.”

In grace and peace,



Bishop Lanette Plambeck 
Resident Bishop, Dakotas-Minnesota Episcopal Area 
The United Methodist Church