Solidarity With Refugees – Sermon 16 June, 2013

Solidarity With Refugees
Deut. 10:14-22   Eph. 2:14-22 Math. 25:34-40

 

There are millions who want to leave their homeland and move to more safe countries. Why do people want to move and come to countries like Australia even risking in unreliable boats, spend all their savings, and then potentially spend years at refugee camps on Nauru, Christmas Island, or at Woomera?

Because they want what we’ve got, such as social security, education, job, health and most of peace.

To accomplish their dreams they face the difficult challenges and the barriers. They risk coming and facing the blocking walls.

Today’s Bible passage is about a wall, a barrier. It’s about people born on the wrong side of the fence; people born without citizenship. Those who were not Jew were considered to be aliens and foreigners. The passage is also about the ripping of that wall by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and becoming a citizen to enjoy the rights of the people on the other side. It is reconciling with them and removing the dividing wall of hostility.

“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men) – remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.”  Eph. 2:11-12

We need to understand the context of the New Testament times. In Ephesians 1.13 Paul says that they were included. That is, Gentiles were included in the promises of God. But why did they need to be included? Why were they not already included? In Eph 2.11 it talks about Gentiles. Who were the non-Jew.

The Jews were the largest group from the tribe of Judah. The remaining 11 tribes were lost after the Northern Kingdom of Israel was captured by Assyrians 722 BC. They were the descendants of Abraham.

The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Gen. 12:1-3

We can find in the Old Testament many other promises and covenants to Abraham’s descendants. But this is the first one and it marks the choosing and calling of the Israelites as Gods chosen people. God also asked them to bear the mark of circumcision to distinguish them from others. Later this distinction made them hate each other and hence built walls of separation. That is why Paul writes: “Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world”. Eph. 2.12

But God cared for the alien and told the Israelites to care for them too:

“`When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God”. Lev. 19:33-34

“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. Fear the LORD your God and serve him”. Deut. 10:18-20

It is clear what God demanded from the Jews, His people; to love and care for the foreigners. But there was a dividing wall between the two. No foreigner may enter within the barrier and they were excluded.

When we look at the refugees, they are foreigners, they don’t belong anywhere. They are without hope. We were like that. We were excluded from citizenship, foreigners, without hope, without God. “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ, who made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.”

Probably all of us here today are Gentiles by birth and were born on the wrong side of the wall, but through the blood of Christ, the wall is destroyed and we have citizenship!

You see, God doesn’t reconcile us with Himself only. He reconciles us with each other, with other believers.

So if that’s the case, what does this passage have to say to us?

Firstly, just what it says. The promises of God come through the Jews. We Gentiles were aliens, foreigners. We were without citizenship, and now we have been granted citizenship! We now have access to the Father, as a united body. In verse 19 we are called Gods household. That’s another phrase for the church, which verse 20-22 talk more about

But the second thing we can learn is that there are other divisions in society like racism and we despise other people to those from a different social background. But the word says that we are all one in Christ reconciled to God together. We come from different nationalities and races. We are young and old. We have teenagers, young families, single parent families, retirees, pensioners, public servants, pastors.

Thirdly, what is our attitude to those outside the church? The Jews were hostile to the Gentiles forgetting that their purpose, their task was to be a light to the world and all nations are to be blessed through Abraham.

What is our attitude to outsiders? People from all backgrounds, can only be united in Christ, within the church. But just because people are outside, foreigners and aliens, they don’t have to stay that way.

We were foreigners to the covenant of promise. We were excluded from citizenship in Israel. There was a dividing wall of hostility. But thanks be to God, that dividing wall has been broken down for those in Christ! The dividing wall between Jews, Gentiles.

Remember our Saviour was a refugee – when he says, Matthew 25:35-36 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Our forefathers in the faith were refugees and displaced people:

“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigners residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10 17-19

“When foreigners reside among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigners residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 19:33-4

Many of us may have closer experience with refugees – my parents were refugees as children in the 1920s.

How many people have refugees in their family? How many are immigrants or children of immigrants?

According to conservative figures there are more than 43 million of refugees.

What do we do? Love the refugee.

Attitude
Many times we hear about people abusing the system but we need to welcome the stranger, the alien, the refugee in the name of our refugee Lord.

Advocacy/Support

Our refugee policies are often in change, and they tend to get worse in difficult economic times – what the Government is doing for refugees, and how they will do more if they are elected.

Proverbs 31:8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

You may find yourself able to help a refugee family negotiate the system.

Welcome
Welcome the immigrants and refugees. After all they are all part of God’s creation. They are not like us but they are people like us, who seek to have better lives, security and needs provided.

They have no choice but to flee their homeland to escape war, genocide, torture and persecution. Amnesty works to uphold the rights of people seeking asylum across the world.

So on this Refugee Sunday let us remember them, pray and seek justice for them.

Krikor Youmshajekian