Book from the Mexican Lutheran Church uses Bible texts to raise awareness about migration
“I will go where you go.” Book cover. Illustration by Abel Gutierrez Perez. Photo: ILM
(LWI) - The Migration Pastoral Ministry of the Mexican Lutheran Church (ILM) launched a book with studies of migration stories in the Bible titled “I will Go Where You Go: Old Testament and Migration” earlier this month.
Author Dr. Moisés Pérez Espino, ILM pastor and coordinator of its migration ministry, said the book could be used as a preaching and learning tool to help raise awareness of migration using biblical narratives about migration.
The book explores migration in the stories of Abraham, Exodus, Joseph, Elijah, Zarephath, Ruth, and Esther.
“Leave your land"
“It is a very contextualized book, which is investigated using the ‘observe, judge and act’ methodology,” said Perez. "Observing" means analyzing reality, "judging" means to closely examine the biblical text and "acting" a call to raise awareness about migration, explained Perez. He added that the goal is "to do something as believers in Christ and as churches.”
The Mexico Ministry of the Interior (Secretaría de Gobernación) estimated that there were around 300 000 irregular migrants in Mexico in 2017. Migration and returning flows mostly to and from the United States, remains significant as well as flows of refugees and asylum seekers, mostly from Central America.
“How could I do something so bad?”
Old Testament theologian Professor Dr Mercedes Garcia Bachmann of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Argentina wrote the preface to the publication that is illustrated with drawings by ILM member Abel Gutierrez Perez.
The publication is available in Spanish and English. It intends to sensitize the churches in Mexico to migration through a biblical lens, and also extend that perspective to North American churches where ILM has strong cooperation and support from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
By LAC Communication Network. Edited by LWF/A. Gray
