Hicks, Catherine

Catherine Hicks
Marble Falls, TX

Blood of Christ, shed for Who?
Few can forget the harrowing headline image of a refugee child's limp body washed like so much flotsam on a distant shore. As a practicing Christian, I have prayed for this child and his mother each Sunday as I receive communion in my safe and comforting suburban Lutheran church.
As I share the meal, I am blessed by the words that have been spoken to all Christians for thousands of years: “this is the body of Christ, given for you,” and “this is the blood of Christ, shed for you.”
This piece challenges the response of American Christians to the peril and hardship faced by all refugees. We are happy to pray for others, but are less inclined to turn those prayers into action. Was the blood of Christ shed only for those already blessed?
James 2:14 -17 – “What good is it...if you say

The build hope not walls project speaks to me because, as a practicing Lutheran, I am called by faith to offer shelter, not barriers. Walls should shelter and comfort rather than repel.