By the Rev’d Lucy Nguyen
Season: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Refugee Sunday)
Readings: 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 | 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 | Mark 6:1-13
At the end of last year (2023), an estimated 117.3 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing the public order. Based on operational data, UNHCR [the UN Refugee Agency], estimates that forced displacement has continued to increase in the first four months of 2024 and by the end of April 2024 is likely to have exceeded 120 million.
The increase to 117.3 million at the end of 2023 constitutes a rise of 8 per cent or 8.8 million people compared to the end of 2022 and continues a series of year-on-year increases over the last 12 years.
One in every 69 people, or 1.5 per cent of the entire world’s population, is now forcibly displaced. This is nearly double the 1 in 125 people who were displaced a decade ago.
Today is marked in the Anglican Lectionary as Refugee Sunday. It roughly coincides with World Refugee Day which is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe. It was originally known as Africa Refugee Day, before the United Nations General Assembly officially designated it as an international day in December 2000.
It was celebrated the first time on 20 June 2001, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.
It is a time to celebrate the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.
It is also a time particular time to shine a light on the rights, needs and dreams of refugees, helping to mobilize political will and resources so refugees can not only survive but also thrive.
While it is important to protect and improve the lives of refugees every single day, international days like World Refugee Day help to focus global attention on the plight of those fleeing conflict or persecution.
While it might seem that the Anglican Church piggy backs on this global initiative by setting aside a Sunday at this time of the year. The reality of the Christian faith is that we have been called to the care for refugees since the beginning of our faith story, long, long before 1951.
The Bible may not use the word ‘refugee’ but they are certainly included when the Bible says ‘The foreigners residing among you must be treated as native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt’ (Leviticus 19.34). [Bible Society]
This command to care for the stranger was so embedded in the Law that it was used as the basis for how God’s people were to treat each other: Israelites were to treat their own poor as they would the stranger or the foreigner (Leviticus 25:35). [World vision]
Have folks been involved in assisting people through various refugee support programs or your own neighbourly initiative?
If you recall our readings this morning you may wonder – what’s the connection – for this conversation about Refugees.
The assigned readings for today in “ordinary time” when applied to the “themed time” of refugee flip the perspective of being sent and being dependent on something or someone other than oneself.
Biblical Commentary for today does point out that “sentness” and dependence as a strong biblical theme, is clearly expressed in the readings this week.
And we note that the sending of God is always to service and in this we are to see ourselves as a “Sent Community”.
And, as we are sent – we are called to trust both in God and in those from whom we receive resources and support for our work. This applies, of course, not just to clergy, but to all who seek to follow Christ and live as citizens of God’s Reign.
We are sent out into the world – to care for the world.
So, in our first reading we can note the “sentness” of God’s people as reflected in David’s appointment as king over all of Israel and Judah (including the establishment of Jerusalem as the city of David and of God.) And of course, in our Gospel reading – Jesus sends the twelve out in pairs, with no resources, to preach, and they go, proclaim Jesus’ message, heal, and cast out demons.
And the reading of “sentness” sits on either side of the Epistle reading where Paul recognises that God’s strength is made perfect in his weakness, and so he refuses to boast in anything except his dependence on God.
In these readings the being sent refers to those who are not seeking refuge but choosing to go out, to go out in faith and serve. And we are not sent on our own merit or strength nor are we are not sent to “go it alone”.
As we live by God’s purpose the resources we have and the projects we are sent to be a part of are not ours alone, they are God’s. We are to give what we have and to be grateful receivers of what may be offered from the most unlikely people or circumstances to assist in the mission imperatives of God. We are to go out, to listen, learn and respond mindfully with and for others.
The message of this week from our readings as we consider the plight of refugees, is to embrace the call of God, and go out as servants of Christ in dependence on God’s resources, God’s strength, to acknowledge and offer what we can to those who have arrived through the misery and despair of displacement, violence and war.
To help create and support community.
And if this is something close to your heart or something your curious about, I’d like to hear from you.
When I was 22, I went off “to help people” and found myself on an island in southeast Asia working in refugee camps for several years.
We have stories to share of what we’ve done and as a faith community I believe we still have stories in the making.
May we experience God’s sending and God’s provision both as we worship and as we go out to live the mission of Christ in our daily lives.
I’ll finish with this poem from John Van de Laar: The Faith We Need –
We take so much on to our shoulders God;
Sometimes it’s arrogance,
but sometimes it’s because we just don’t know what else to do.
There is so much need, so many wounded people,
There are so many challenges, and so many decisions.
We don’t want to fall into a magical, “Harry Potter” faith,
in which we use prayers like wands,
and avoid our responsibilities through childish dependence on you.
But, we also don’t want to live
as if what we believe is just an idea
with no real impact on our lives.
And so we pray for the strength and courage
to work for justice and healing
for those who are forgotten and hurting in our world,
and to strive to be fully engaged in our own lives;
But we also pray for the humility and wonder
to seek your Spirit’s strength and wisdom,
and to invite others into vibrant relationship with you;
because the faith we need is not just a ‘religious’ veneer,
but a real confidence in a reality that is bigger than us.
Sources included:
https://www.unhcr.org/global-trends
https://www.unhcr.org/my/world-refugee-day
https://www.worldvision.org › News and Stories
https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/explore-the-bible/bible-articles/jesus-the-refugee/
Lectionary Resources: Proper 9B from Sacredise
The Faith We Need – Sacredise