Hosea 5-8
Revelation 2
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2
Presently, we are seeing the most dramatic move of migration and displacement the world has ever known. When we study the flow of migration, the majority of it is from the Global South to the Global North because of economic or political destabilization. Yet, when asylum seekers arrive on the shores, it is oftentimes met with complacency, indifference, apathy and no sense of urgency, or worse, false narratives or half-truths that are full of fear and not fully exploring the root causes of why people are forced to leave their country of origins in the first place. We may have heard, “We can’t let them in—they are terrorists!” or “They’ll take our jobs and our homes!” or “They’re the problem! Why don’t they just go back to their nation and fix what’s wrong with it?” These narratives and stories that ignore the suffering of others is actually complacency—indifference.
Martin Luther King, Jr. faced a similar reality during the Civil Rights Movement. Rather than thinking deeply about why the Civil Rights Movement existed, he was told that they were pursuing justice too fast and that they should allow the culture to slowly embrace change over time. In King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” dated April 16, 1963, he wrote, “I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes.” King challenged his readers to think deeply and ask what the underlying reason was behind the protests. He continued, “…privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily.” He then argued, “when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of ‘nobodyness’—then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait.”
Although King’s letter was written decades ago, the principles could be applied to refugees and asylum seekers today. The asylum seeker is on the refugee highway, not because they do not love their home country but because of the impact of European and Western powers in the Global North that left their country of origin destabilized by their actions. Yet, when they arrive, they are treated like the problem.
When we are not experiencing injustice firsthand, we can become anaesthetized to its impact. We could try and blame the reason for this on our fallen sinful nature. But as Christians, we are filled with and led by the Spirit of Christ to live differently. When we study the Gospels, we see Jesus advancing the Kingdom with compassion and justice, addressing the social sins of His day.
In light of all this information, how are we challenged to live differently in Christ?
Dear God, I confess my complacency and indifference towards refugees and asylum seekers. Please use me as Your conduit to bring Your light in this dark reality. Thank You, Lord.
Revelation 2
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2
Presently, we are seeing the most dramatic move of migration and displacement the world has ever known. When we study the flow of migration, the majority of it is from the Global South to the Global North because of economic or political destabilization. Yet, when asylum seekers arrive on the shores, it is oftentimes met with complacency, indifference, apathy and no sense of urgency, or worse, false narratives or half-truths that are full of fear and not fully exploring the root causes of why people are forced to leave their country of origins in the first place. We may have heard, “We can’t let them in—they are terrorists!” or “They’ll take our jobs and our homes!” or “They’re the problem! Why don’t they just go back to their nation and fix what’s wrong with it?” These narratives and stories that ignore the suffering of others is actually complacency—indifference.
Martin Luther King, Jr. faced a similar reality during the Civil Rights Movement. Rather than thinking deeply about why the Civil Rights Movement existed, he was told that they were pursuing justice too fast and that they should allow the culture to slowly embrace change over time. In King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” dated April 16, 1963, he wrote, “I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes.” King challenged his readers to think deeply and ask what the underlying reason was behind the protests. He continued, “…privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily.” He then argued, “when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of ‘nobodyness’—then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait.”
Although King’s letter was written decades ago, the principles could be applied to refugees and asylum seekers today. The asylum seeker is on the refugee highway, not because they do not love their home country but because of the impact of European and Western powers in the Global North that left their country of origin destabilized by their actions. Yet, when they arrive, they are treated like the problem.
When we are not experiencing injustice firsthand, we can become anaesthetized to its impact. We could try and blame the reason for this on our fallen sinful nature. But as Christians, we are filled with and led by the Spirit of Christ to live differently. When we study the Gospels, we see Jesus advancing the Kingdom with compassion and justice, addressing the social sins of His day.
In light of all this information, how are we challenged to live differently in Christ?
Dear God, I confess my complacency and indifference towards refugees and asylum seekers. Please use me as Your conduit to bring Your light in this dark reality. Thank You, Lord.
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