Jesus was a Refugee

 

When Jesus was a refugee, Egypt took him in-- 

gave safety from King Herod and shelter from the wind. 

When Jesus was a refugee he lived among the poor. 

I see him then-- I see him now. He's knocking on my door.

 For Jesus is a refugee and if I take him in, 

I see the suffering through his eyes and learn to be like him

                           When Jesus Was a Refugee -- Dan Damon

This is World Refugee Week and not surprisingly we've been hearing the grim statistics about refugees, migrants, and displaced persons around the world. The United Nations estimates that there are more than 80 million people who fit into these categories, the most in human history and roughly one percent of the population of the planet. 

We've also been told that more than 600 migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea in less than half this year, with half a million refugees and asylum seekers living in terrible conditions in Libya. In the United States there is no longer an obsession with "we're gonna build that wall!" but the Biden administration is warning migrants from Central America to stay where they are, despite their desperation. 

                                                    Asylum Seekers on the Mediterranean

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the the situation even more dire as countries around the world have closed their borders and reduced quotas of asylum seekers. Few people flee their homelands by choice, but everything from war and political unrest, to economic privation, to domestic violence or physical attacks because of sexual orientation, compels them to be on the move. In recent decades the number of climate refugees has been on the rise. 

This all seems bleak, yet those of us who live in relatively stable and prosperous countries can encourage our governments to take the moral high road and welcome those who need our assistance, including welcoming them to our shores. 

Communities of faith, including churches, were instrumental in bringing tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to Canada a few years ago. We have been gratified to see that the majority have prospered here, returning to physical and psychological health, finding employment and educational possibilities.

This week reminds us that the need and the opportunity are still real.