Do not be afraid: A sermon on El Paso, Dayton, Immigrants and the Treasures of Heaven

Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” And then he says, “Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Do not be afraid. It is the most repeated phrase in the Bible. 

But... it is not easy in a world like ours. It is not easy, sometimes, a lot of times, not to be afraid. Last weekend, our nation suffered two more mass shootings. In El Paso, Texas, a gunman broke into a mall and targeted Mexicans and people of Hispanic descent, killing 22. Just because he thought they didn’t belong in this country. Because he thought they didn’t deserve to live. Because his heart and soul were infected by racism, and because he had access to weapons that can kill. Less than 24 hours later, in Dayton, Ohio, another gunman killed 9. His motivation is less clear, but it seems that his heart was infected by sexism and misogyny. He was suspended in high school for making a "rape list" of classmates he wanted to sexually assault. He even killed his own sister.

Then, on Wednesday this week, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided a number of food processing plants, detaining as many as 680 undocumented workers. The single largest ICE raid in US history. Notably, it came on the first day of school. So that when kids came home, their parents were gone. The employers weren’t arrested for hiring undocumented workers, just the people working in hot smelly jobs that most of us would not want.

I have to be honest. I don’t see Jesus in any of this. I don’t see Jesus in guns, whether automatic or semi-automatic, or even handguns. And I don’t see Jesus in separating children from their parents, and tearing people away from their work, their homes, and their communities. For a nation that claims to live “under God, with liberty and justice for all” we have a lot to learn. About justice. About liberty. About America. And most especially about God.

Did you notice, in our first reading from Isaiah, that it mentioned the infamous cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? Cities destroyed for their sinful ways. It has long been assumed that those sins were sexual, and often people have understood it to be about homosexuality in particular. But that’s not the perspective of the Bible. When, in the Old Testament, as in Isaiah, these places of greatest sin and abomination are mentioned, it is in relation to how they (and we) treat people. How we treat strangers and those in need. How we show hospitality.

Hear, again, what Isaiah says: “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”  For Isaiah, for Jesus, and for us, this is the path to life, to blessedness, to receiving the kingdom that God intends for us. Not through guns, not through racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and so much else that infects human hearts, but justice, rescue for the oppressed, support for the most vulnerable in our midst.

In fact, as Isaiah clearly says, God does not even want our “thoughts and prayers” if they are not accompanied by justice and care for the most vulnerable: for immigrants, for strangers, for widows, orphans, and anyone who is oppressed: “Bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation--I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity…. When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.”

Jesus said: “Do not be afraid.” And then he said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” They go together, I think. Refusing fear. Turning away from it, and then setting our hearts on the things of God. On the people of God—the wonderful, beautiful, extraordinary people that God has made. Of every language, race, color, background, orientation, and ability.

One of the ways that I believe we set our hearts on the people of God, is by hearing their story. So, here are some of the stories of the people of God. (Adapted from the Washington Post article). 

For Jordan (aged 24) and Andre Anchondo (aged 23) of El Paso, Saturday was meant to be a day of celebration. The couple had just marked their first wedding anniversary. In 2018, Andre left the family auto-repair business to set up his own shop, Andre House of Granite and Stone. In his free time, he built a house for his young family, laboring under the Texas sun hours at a time. Jordan was a stay-at-home mom. The couple was ready to show off their new house. Friends and family were invited to a big party, but the Anchondos never made it. Jordan’s sister said that based on their baby’s injuries, it appeared that she died while trying to shield the 2 month old from the shooter. “He pretty much lived because she gave her life,” her sister said.

Elsa Mendoza, aged 57, was a teacher and school principal who lived and worked in Mexico. She was in El Paso visiting family. She stopped by Walmart to pick up a few things from the grocery section, leaving her husband and son in the car. She never emerged from the store.

Her expertise was in special education, but she was principal of an elementary school with a range of students. She was known for her optimism. “Mendoza “used to say, ‘Things done with love are done better,’ and she was always ready to help."

Javier Rodriguez, aged 15, was among the youngest killed in El Paso. He was just weeks away from starting his sophomore year of high school. “He was such a loving boy,” his aunt, said. Soccer was a major part of Javier’s routine at in school. He came to school early to play with friends, skip lunch to practice with the varsity girls team, and then head off to his own junior varsity training in the afternoon. “This boy was like as an energy bunny,” his coach said. "And for him, it was nothing but soccer.”

Gloria Márquez, 61, was born in Mexico and moved to the U.S. more than two decades ago. Her first two children were born in Mexico, her second two in the States. “The kids were everything to her,” said John Ogaz, her companion of 11 years. When Ogaz, a US citizen born in El Paso, met Márquez, he was living in a trailer. Márquez earned a modest income as a health care assistant for elderly patients and helped him move into a home. They considered each other husband and wife, though they never formally married. They lived together in El Paso, surrounded by children and grandchildren. On Saturday, Ogaz and Márquez went to Walmart together. They split up minutes before the shooter entered the building, she heading to the ATM and he waiting for her at McDonald’s. For five hours, he called her phone from the parking lot.

At 90 years old, Luis Juarez had lived the American Dream. He immigrated to the United States, became a citizen, bought a home and made a career as an iron worker. He and his wife of 70 years, Martha, raised a family that included seven children, 20 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren. Before retiring, he had helped erect many buildings in El Paso and Los Angeles. Luis’s family remembered him as generous, understanding, hard-working and curious. “We are celebrating the life of an American who served to build our country,” his family said. They expected him to live to 100. “We were looking forward to many more years and that was stolen away from us,” the family said.

The stories of those killed in Dayton, Ohio are equally moving. Students, parents, friends out for a night together. (Details here). To say nothing of those detained last week in the immigration raids, people looking for a better, safer, more secure life for themselves and their children.

I don’t know what the answer is to the increasingly disheartening and even frightening time in which we live. I don’t know how we respond to Jesus command, “Do be afraid, Little flock.” Unless it means that we are being called to turn our backs on the fear that leads to racism and sexism. Turn our backs on the fear that leads us to rely on guns for our safety. And, turn our backs on the fear that leads us to think that there is only room here—in the church, in the country, in human life, for those who are somehow like us.

We are called to turn our backs on all of these, which like moth and rust destroy our nation and eat away at our souls. And instead, we are called to store up for ourselves the treasures of heaven. The treasures of life—and not only for us, but for all whom God has created and loves. When we do, I believe we will discover that there’s no end to the possibilities in life, and no limit to the joy and love and abundance offered us. God offers us even the whole of the kingdom of God.

Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

To God be the glory: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.     

© The Rev. Matthew P. Cadwell, PhD