I don't usually discuss religion on my blog, but my parents forwarded me an email from our church in Michigan that I just have to share.
Rev. Jim Burklo is speaking at our church next Sunday. The following is an excerpt from his most recent book, BIRDLIKE AND BARNLESS: Meditations, Prayers, and Songs for Progressive Christians.
Mojados in the Promised Land
by Jim Burklo and Lisa Atkinson
We are all mojados in the promised land
We’ll cross that bright river today
All our backs will be wet when we finally stand
At the throne of God someday
Nobody’s thirsty in the promised land
Coyote can’t steal your soul
Buzzards don’t glide over desert sands
There is no border patrol
There are no migra at the pearly gates
No fake ID’s to buy
They don’t take your money and leave you to fate
You can’t get caught in a lie
You won’t get deported from the promised land
You cross over there, you are home
It’s our place to build and our place to stand
Heaven to earth, kingdom come
He goes on to say:
"We’re all mojados. Wet on the back, wet behind the ears, just born, so to speak. If not from the physical womb, at least born again every time we cross that river and wash away our self-righteousness, our hubris, our sense of privilege and entitlement and superiority. We’re all ‘illegals’. We’ve broken the laws of Moses, the laws of nature, the unwritten laws of social and political correctness, and we’ve broken the law of love."
My parents sent this to me, I assume, because of the parallels with The Other Side, but I think the message here is something we can all appreciate, regardless of your religious beliefs. I have high hopes for the next year, and one of the first on the list is that the US will come up with a real resolution for the immigrants living there and hoping to become citizens.
Be safe, and have a happy New Year. Ibis and I are out of town for the next couple days - we finally made it to Huetamo - so I'll tell you all about the trip when I get back.
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8 comments:
Wow, you ain't kiddin' about the parallels. I had goosebumps by the second stanza!
Thanks for sharing this - it's a great message.
And I hope 2009 brings amazing blessings for you and Ibis.
From a naked bi-vocational pastor, "Amen."
I wait with anticipation the moment we all get to sit down together at the Feast, one in spirit and one in love.
Those parallels are creepy! Enjoy your trip and the new year. Be safe.
Wow, that is cool! I once read somewhere, (my memory is fuzzy, so I can't tell you if the source was good or not) that one of the beginnings of the decline (maybe financial, maybe power, again, I forget) of a country was when it closed its borders.
9/11 happened. It was horrible. American are going to die: either in wars to "protect us from terrorists," or from terrorist attacks. There's a line, though.
THOUSANDS of Americans have died in combat because of the few hundred who died at 9/11. Our freedoms have taken a HUGE hit because of 9/11 and Bush. Our privacy is now near nil because of 9/11.
The price for complete safety is too high. It's just too high. When are we going to see that? I really hope it's soon.
Great post! Thanks for sharing that with us. Have a wonderful New Year's celebration and stay safe!
Beautiful poem.
Happy New Year to you and Ibis,
E
That's truly beautiful. It gives me shivers. I'm converting to Mexicanism.
I appreciate all of your comments and I'm glad I'm not the only one with whom the poem struck a chord. I never intended for immigration to become an important issue to me, yet here I am. I can't wait to see what the new year brings.
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