There is an email circulating around called "The Bird Feeder Lesson"

It's essentially a diatribe against illegal aliens from Mexico. The complaints made are strongly reminiscent of those made in past eras against immigrants from Ireland, Italy, China, Eastern Europe, etc. This particular piece of, uh, rhetoric just strikes me as mean spirited. What really disturbs me is that I've received it via emails from friends and even from my Mom!

If you really examine it, the sentiment behind "The Bird Feeder Lesson" seems to be this: I got mine, so screw them.

Illegal immigration is a complex issue and the solution will not be as simplistic, naive and procrustean as "send them all back" or "take down the bird feeder" or whatever.

All I can say, with relative certainty, about the issue is this:

1) Illegal immigrants are not annoying yard pests. They are people. They have hopes and dreams. They are God's beloved just as much as we are. Perhaps what disturbs me most about "The Bird Feeder Lesson" is its attempt to dehumanize them.

2) The Kingdom of God does not recognize national borders. In light of this, I must ask "Who is my neighbor?" (For the answer, see Luke 10:25-37) How do I manage to be so comfortable with my opulance while the people next door live in squalor? Perhaps by crossing to the far side of the road?

3) I confess that I have done illegal things in the course of my own life. I therefore have to be careful about casting stones.

4) If I had been born a dirt-poor rural Mexican. You can bet your burrito that as a young man I would've made the trek to El Norte in search of opportunities for me and my family.

5) I have five bird feeders and one squirrel feeder in my yard. The critters they attract are, for me, a constant source of delight.