Matthew 22 gives us an account of Jesus and the Pharisees interacting with a question about taxes and Rome. The Pharisees ask Jesus, “Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

After some back and forth discussion, Jesus answers, “Give, then, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” It is such a fascinating answer because on the one hand, all things belong to God. But Jesus, the Pharisees, and everyone around them at that time found themselves under the rule of Rome. They had to pay the taxes that Rome levied.

It’s a fascinating answer because it shows the delicate balance between living in this world and living in the Kingdom of God. We are citizens of this world and therefore under the rule of a leader. Martin Luther understood this when he wrote his explanation to the fourth commandment, “Honor your father and your mother”.

As baptized believers in Jesus Christ, we are also citizens of the kingdom of God and are under His command also. Luther understood that finding the proper balance of who to follow could be difficult. He wrote about secular authority, saying, “In other words, as regards whatever is on earth, and belongs to the temporal, earthly kingdom’, man can have power from God. But whatever belongs to heaven and to the eternal kingdom, is subject to the Lord of heaven alone.”

I want to be abundantly clear: being faithful to God and a good citizen in our country can be difficult. I do not believe anyone has found the right balance and done this perfectly. But that does not mean we should not strive to be good citizens to both rulers as much as possible. And I believe that the current leadership of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, President Matthew Harrison, failed at staying faithful to both.

President Harrison, late Thursday evening, sent out an email to, I am assuming here, everyone on the LCMS email list. You can read his article entitled, LCMS President Harrison letter about U.S. immigration and Lutheran organizations which you can read for your self. Or, you can check out this decent summary from CHAT GPT:

LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison addresses concerns about Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) receiving federal funds, clarifying that the LCMS has no government contracts and does not support illegal immigration. He emphasizes that the LCMS is a law-abiding, patriotic church that advocates for religious freedom and First Amendment rights while encouraging individual members to act according to their consciences. Harrison explains that LIRS, now renamed Global Refuge, has severed official ties with the LCMS, reflecting a broader divergence between the LCMS and ELCA on theological and social issues. He acknowledges concerns raised by General Mike Flynn’s accusations but argues that any legal issues with LIRS lie with the federal government, not the church. Ultimately, he calls for a balanced approach to immigration policy that upholds law, order, and compassion.

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There are a variety of issues in his letter that are concerning, such as giving personal opinion on politics in an official statement on behalf of our church body, rambling about a variety of topics, and providing no guidance for how churches should handle the changing landscape around immigration. And many have begun to undertake the task of writing about them.

But I want to talk about two issues that CHAT GPT picked up. “patriotic church” and “law, order, and compassion.” And to me, this is the heart of what is wrong with this letter. As the president of our church body, “Among many other duties and responsibilities, the LCMS president is the chief ecclesiastical and ecumenical officer of the Synod, supervising what is taught and practiced within the church and advising and maintaining relationships with our partner church bodies.” In short, he is like the pastor of our church body. He can offer commentary and thoughts about society, but this should be done in the context of Scripture.

Instead, this letter reads sounds like an attempt to kiss the ring of our current political administration. It shrouds the cross with the American flag. And it places rule and order above compassion and mercy. This letter, while probably pleasing to many in America, does a hurts our witness to our partner churches and LCMS members spread around the globe.

This letter should have been more pastoral and covered in grace.
It should have included:

• Ways to speak about the immigrants and refugees among us to our congregations.
• Resources for assisting members of our congregations and communities who are scared that they may be taken away from their homes.
• Guidance regarding the recently rescinded policy that required Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to seek additional authority prior to conducting immigration enforcement actions in locations like churches, schools, and hospitals.
• Prayers for our political administration, our congregations, our people, and our communities.
• Assurance that God is still in control.
• A reminder of how to make sure we do not make an idol of our politicians.

Again, I fully understand that balancing living in this world and in the kingdom of God can be difficult. But I pray that President Harrison realizes the errors in his letter and the hurt it has caused. I hope that those around him can give good guidance and counsel to him. And I hope he is able to provide better guidance around this difficult topic.

The Pharisees asked Jesus in Matthew “Is this lawful…?”. A better question for us today regarding this topic could be, “Is this God-pleasing?” May all of our actions and words show love to God and love to our neighbor.

In the coming days, I plan to write more about how we can make positive change around this situation in our church body.

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There are many people out there doing great work around this topic. Check out these resources and groups as we all faithfully follow God while living in this world.

• Lutherans for Racial Justice
• Immigration Enforcement Action: What Churches Need to Know
• CTCR Bible study: ‘Immigrants Among Us: A Lutheran Framework for Addressing Immigration Issues’

Please feel free to comment with other resources that you are aware of.