Was it ‘courage’ or an abuse of her pulpit? The actions of a ‘Radical Left hard line Trump hater or of a convinced woman who had the courage to promote the radical teachings of Jesus?

The Episcopal Bishop who pleaded with the newly installed President to show compassion to undocumented immigrants and other marginalised people has certainly provoked some serious reaction both in favour of and against her intervention.

I spent some time with a small Baptist church on the Mexican border in the mid 1990’s and as a result have taken a keen interest in the current immigration debate taking place in the US. It may be a hot potato now, but it was a pressing concern then too.

It looks as if his relationship with sections of the church could prove more than a little strained too, given the appointment of Robert McElroy as archbishop in Washington DC. I’ve read that when the archbishop was cardinal in San Diego, he decided to take on the Texas attorney general who was seeking to shut down a Catholic charity that was offering shelter and aid to undocumented migrants on the border.

His reasoning was quite simple: the state was using government pressure to stop the church fulfilling one of its most fundamental obligations: to feed the hungry, to shelter the homeless and to provide drink for the thirsty. “No government can morally tell us to abandon or limit this mission,” he is reported to have said.

The Pope has not been silent either. He has said that Donald Trump’s plans to deport illegal migrants from the US would be a "disgrace" if they materialised and during a public audience last August, he commented that "systematically working by all means to drive away migrants" was "a grave sin".

The Bible makes it very clear that God’s people have a God-given duty to care for people whatever their circumstances and whatever their background, and I have discovered that when we try to do that, He will give us a helping hand too.

I experienced it on the Mexican border when I went to a local ‘lumber yard’ with some of the church to buy some timber to repair the building they were using to feed and clothe the hundreds of people that were turning up there every day. They had few resources, but they were operating on the understanding that God would give them everything they needed to do His work. They were not disappointed and even the local shopkeepers noticed it. This became obvious when one of the leaders told a check out assistant to put the bill on ‘The Jesus account’! The owners of the ‘lumber yard’ had clearly discovered that God will pay His bills.

God will always help us care for people even when it’s not the popular thing to do because every single person is precious to Him.