Sharing Love, Seeking Justice: The fifth week in Lent

April 10, 2025

Welcome to our 2025 series of weekly Lenten devotionals, a gift from New Brunswick Theological seminary. At the beginning of each week, the Theological Writing Center will post a devotion or a story of a local congregational ministry, along with a prayer and a few psalms on which to meditate during the week. During Holy Week, there will be eight days of devotions from NBTS faculty members.

The fifth week in Lent

From Anglo to Hispanic: A Rebirth Toward Justice in Bergenfield

One hundred years ago, in the midst of the roaring twenties, as immigrants arrived who were not from northern Europe, white Protestants fled Hudson County and New York City and found quieter places away from the Jews and Catholics who had become the majority of new immigrants. Among many places, a large number moved to the Fields of Bergen, which became Bergenfield, NJ. There they established a rural Protestant bastion and established the Clinton Avenue Reformed Church. The church thrived for one hundred years, but during the last thirty years the town changed. Orthodox Jews, Filipinos, and immigrants from Central and South America came into that town. The white Protestants of that church, courageously decided to reinvent the congregation. Rather than die as a small white church in a town that was no longer white, they chose to be reborn.

In 2023, on the cusp of the one hundredth anniversary of the congregation, a new immigrant, Hispanic church planter was hired to begin a new congregation. This one would be composed of recent immigrants who spoke native Spanish. Christ’s church in Bergenfield was reborn that year with Christians of a different culture, but just as zealous for Jesus.

In a nation that frequently rejects immigrants, Clinton Avenue Reformed Church has embraced them. At times, churches with institutional racism would reject the idea of forming a non-Anglo new church start, but this congregation invested in immigrants of a different culture and showed they saw the Church of Christ with a broader cultural vision than many of their contemporaries.

Today, in the midst of Lent, we celebrate the Clinton Avenue Reformed Church that has been reborn. May we all follow their example of justice and vision.

Prayer:
               Lord Jesus, your ministry extended the Father’s love beyond nations and cultures.
               Even his disciples bristled at the love and justice that he showed 
               to those whom they considered outsiders.
               Yet, Jesus’ mercy transcends such earthly constructs.
               This Lent and Resurrection Day, may we have the heart of Jesus
               in overcoming cultural differences and seeing Jesus’ face in everyone we meet.
               In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

– Mark William Ennis
  MDiv graduate, 1984

Reflection for the rest of the week:      The final three Ascent Psalms: 132, 133, 134
                                                                               The Ascent Psalms were sung by pilgrims heading for Jerusalem.

Prayer:                 
              Gracious God, you’re not the God of confusion or discord,
              But the God of concord and peace:
              so join our hearts and affections that we may walk as kindred in your house,
              in charity and love as members of the body of Christ.
              Let your Holy Spirit refresh us with anointing grace,
              that we may obtain eternal life through your Son, Jesus Christ.
              Amen.                                                              _{Adapted from the prayer for Psalm 133 in the Scottish Psalter of 1595}