A Deeper Look

When the Manger Is Empty

The empty manger in Dedham is jarring. No Mary, no Joseph, no baby Jesus—just a wooden trough under a spotlight and the words “ICE WAS HERE.” Whether you find it moving or manipulative, it has done its job: it forces a conversation.

But for followers of Jesus, the most important conversation is not, “What do I think about that church’s display?” but:

“How does God want His people to think about the immigrant, government, and the gospel?”

To answer that, we need to move from headlines to Scripture.

When Compassion and Authority Collide

Immigration forces us into a tension we don’t like to admit.

For some believers, the word “immigrant” conjures up faces and stories—families fleeing danger, children growing up in fear, parents risking everything for safety. We think of verses about loving the stranger and welcoming the outsider.

For others, the word “ICE” raises another set of concerns—national security, local crime, human trafficking, drug routes, and overwhelmed communities. We think of Romans 13 and the need for law and order.

Most of us feel pulled in both directions. We want compassion and we want security. We grieve over suffering and we worry about chaos. In that tension, it is easy to let our favorite news outlet or political tribe disciple us more than the Word of God.

Scripture calls us to something better: to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2)—including how we think and speak about immigration and enforcement.

Pillar One: God Commands His People to Love and Protect the Foreigner

The Old Testament uses words like gēr (resident alien/sojourner) to describe people who live among God’s people but are not originally from there. God’s concern for them is strong and explicit:

• Exodus 22:21 — “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.”
• Leviticus 19:33–34 — “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself…”
• Deuteronomy 10:18–19 — God “loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.”

In other words:

• God defends the foreigner.
• God provides for the foreigner.
• God commands His people to love the foreigner as themselves.

Biblical hospitality is not vague niceness; it is concrete care—food, clothing, legal protection, and community. The stranger living among God’s people was not to be permanently second-class. He was to be treated “as the native among you” and called to walk in covenant faithfulness with Israel’s God.

Pillar Two: God Gives Civil Governments a Real (But Limited) Role

While God’s people are called to sacrificial love, God gives governments a different assignment:

• Romans 13:1–4 — Rulers are “God’s servant for your good,” bearing the sword to punish wrongdoing.
• 1 Peter 2:13–14 — Governors are sent “to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.”

Governments are not called to be churches. They are called to create and enforce laws that protect life, restrain evil, and promote order. That includes borders, courts, and enforcement agencies. Christians may disagree about the best policies, but it is not biblically faithful to say that any immigration enforcement is unchristian by definition.

At the same time, governments are accountable to God. They sin when they:

• show partiality based on ethnicity or status,
• use unjust or cruel practices,
• ignore true dangers, or
• refuse to protect those in legitimate need.

That is why Christians should be willing to both affirm the legitimacy of law and call out real injustice, without collapsing either of those responsibilities into the other.

Pillar Three: The Gospel Brings a New Kind of Citizenship

In the New Testament, the surprising twist is that “outsiders” become insiders through Christ:

• Jesus praises the faith of a Roman centurion and a Syrophoenician woman (Matthew 8:5–13; 15:21–28).
• He tells a story with a Samaritan as the hero who shows mercy to a wounded stranger (Luke 10:25–37).
• He sends His church to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20).

Paul describes it this way:

You were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise… But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ… So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. (Ephesians 2:12–13, 19)

In Christ, the most important border that existed—a border of sin and separation from God—has been crossed. The church becomes a multi-ethnic, multi-national family where our deepest identity is “in Christ,” not in our earthly passport.

That doesn’t erase nations or earthly citizenship, but it keeps us from turning national identity into an idol or treating any earthly border as ultimate.

The Sword and the Towel: Different Callings, Same Lord

Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 show that God uses governments—even imperfect ones—to restrain evil. They “bear the sword” as His servants. But Jesus gives His church a different set of tools:

• The gospel, not coercion. We persuade, we proclaim, we plead—we do not save people with force.
• The towel, not the badge. We follow the One who washed feet (John 13) and told us that greatness in His kingdom looks like servanthood.
• The cross, not the sword. We expect to suffer with Christ and for others, not to rule over them in this age.

Many Christians are called into law enforcement, border security, legal work, social services, and advocacy. That is good and necessary. But all Christians are called to be ambassadors of Christ first (2 Corinthians 5:20). Our primary citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20), and our ultimate allegiance is to King Jesus.

Practical Questions for Christians

Because Scripture gives us principles rather than a detailed policy manual, many questions require wisdom rather than quick slogans. Here are some heart-check questions:

• Who disciples my instincts—Scripture or my side?
  Do passages like Leviticus 19, Deuteronomy 10, Matthew 25, Romans 13, and Ephesians 2 shape my instincts on immigration more than talk radio, podcasts, or social media?
• Do I treat immigrants and ICE agents as people?
  When I hear “undocumented immigrant,” do I imagine a soul with a story, or just a legal category? When I hear “ICE,” do I see a human being carrying a hard assignment, or only a faceless villain?
• Am I willing to critique “my side”?
  If I lean toward stricter enforcement, am I still grieved by harsh rhetoric and cruelty? If I lean toward looser policies, do I still acknowledge the goodness of lawful order and the reality of danger?
• Am I doing anything concrete to love the stranger?
  It is possible to have strong opinions about national policy while doing nothing for the immigrant family down the street. That gap matters to God.

So What Do We Do With “ICE Was Here” at the Manger?

After wrestling with these passages and themes, how might a biblically grounded Christian respond to that empty manger in Dedham—or to any similar display?

• Let it remind you of Jesus’ vulnerability. The incarnate Son really did enter a world of census decrees, political violence, and flight to Egypt. God cares about those who are uprooted and afraid.
• Refuse to let one image write your theology. No church display—whether you applaud it or oppose it—should carry more weight than the full counsel of God’s Word.
• Pray instead of only reacting. Pray for immigrants and refugees, for ICE agents and officers, for lawmakers and judges, for churches and pastors. Ask God to restrain evil, protect the vulnerable, and pour out wisdom and mercy.
• Move from argument to action. Instead of only posting your take online, ask: “Is there one tangible way I can love a stranger, encourage someone in enforcement who is trying to act justly, or support a gospel-centered ministry that serves immigrants?”

In the end, “ICE was here” is not the most important sentence at Christmas. The most important sentence is still:

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)

God came near to us when we were strangers to Him. That reality should shape how we think, speak, and act toward every stranger among us—whatever we think of their paperwork or the latest Nativity controversy.