We are nearly half-way through the season of Christmas, the twelve days between Christmas Day and the Day of Epiphany, which is January 6th. For so many people and congregations Christmas is over and gone rather than a time to reflect on other aspects of Jesus' early life, including his presentation in the temple and the Holy Family's flight into Egypt. We make a big deal of the disruption for Jesus' parents which forced a pregnant Mary to make her way to Bethlehem. We tend to forget the story of the family fleeing persecution by Herod when Jesus was two or three --it's difficult to establish an actual timeline.
It seems that 21st century stories of those who are fleeing persecution, or violence, or economic ruin don't grab our attention either. This year between three and four thousand refugees or asylum seekers have died in attempts to cross from Africa to Europe in the Mediterranean. God knows how many thousands more made it, only to be placed in camps that are wretched. These refugees include Syrians and Gazans who have been displaced by violence, as well as the thousands from African nations, some because of climate-change created drought.
This isn't the only part of the world affected. Remember the hundreds of desperate children coming from Central American countries to the United States, only to be greeted by angry, fist-waving adults? In North America we just aren't aware that hundreds, if not thousands, die attempting to make a perilous crossing to Australia as well.
Today, as a follower of Jesus I want to remember the story of flight from danger in Matthew 2 and ask what it means for my time. I also want to ask what we can do as a church and as a country to exercise the spiritual gift and obligation of hospitality. The photo above of Mediterranean asylum seekers should unsettle us all.
Thoughts?
4 comments:
Just looking at that photo, it's not very hard to understand why 3-4,000 people perish!
I am wondering if there are any statistics on the Boat People who were sponsored into Canada in the 70's, when they fled Vietnam... our staff at Sir James Whitney sponsored a family with a deaf child, and eventually they moved to Toronto, where they kind of got "lost" in the Asian culture there - it would be interesting to see how well others have fared, and what they are doing now. I know the father of this family , a widower, ended up on welfare ...
The integration record is impressive for the Vietnamese boat people. One wonderful story is of Carol Huynh whose family was welcomed and sponsored by a United Church congregation in Hazelton BC.
Huynh is an Olympic wrestling gold medalist.
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