Hosea 1-4
Revelation 1
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5:2
Around the world, persecution, human rights disasters and political violence are raging on. In the past decade, we have seen an extreme rise in people being forced to flee their homes, from countries like Afghanistan, Sudan, Mexico, Ukraine and Myanmar. More than any other period in history, we are facing a global crisis like no other with our refugee crisis.
The UNHCR (The UN Refugee Agency) defines a refugee as, “people [who are] forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as a result of who they are, what they believe in or say, or because of armed conflict, violence or serious public disorder.” According to IAFR (International Association for Refugees), “there are over 108 million forcibly displaced children, women and men in the world—the highest number ever recorded. That’s 1 in every 74 people alive today.” In fact, in the past 5 years, 2 million children were born as refugees. The refugee reality is a truth that we cannot hide and we cannot ignore.
For years, the island of Lesvos, Greece, has been one of the key entry points for people seeking refuge through Europe. Lesvos is relatively untouched by the tourist industry; its rolling hills are covered with olive trees and the land is surrounded by water that has many breathtaking shades of blue, depending on how the bright sun meets it. The other reality is that it is a mere 16 km from Turkey across the water. People facing dire situations make the desperate decision to go on a dangerous journey, risking their life, to seek refuge in Lesvos. More than half of the people making the journey are children, travelling through life-threatening conditions. To get to safety, these refugee survivors experienced no shelter, hunger, instability, past traumas, separation from families and being far from home. Yet, the tragedy is that thousands of people die every year trying to make the passage to this beautiful, quiet island.
Similarly, Bethlehem is just a rural town just a few miles south of Jerusalem. Around the time when Jesus was born, it was unable to support the flood of humanity that was forced upon it by the Roman census. We could barely imagine the chaos and emotions of both the weary, desperate travellers and the overwhelmed villagers. Yet, it was here, just as God promised, that hope was born into this world.
The refugee reality is a dire situation, but we are not without hope—without Jesus.
Dear Jesus, although the refugee reality is dire, You shine a light in these dark places. Thank You for being the hope of this world.
Revelation 1
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5:2
Around the world, persecution, human rights disasters and political violence are raging on. In the past decade, we have seen an extreme rise in people being forced to flee their homes, from countries like Afghanistan, Sudan, Mexico, Ukraine and Myanmar. More than any other period in history, we are facing a global crisis like no other with our refugee crisis.
The UNHCR (The UN Refugee Agency) defines a refugee as, “people [who are] forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as a result of who they are, what they believe in or say, or because of armed conflict, violence or serious public disorder.” According to IAFR (International Association for Refugees), “there are over 108 million forcibly displaced children, women and men in the world—the highest number ever recorded. That’s 1 in every 74 people alive today.” In fact, in the past 5 years, 2 million children were born as refugees. The refugee reality is a truth that we cannot hide and we cannot ignore.
For years, the island of Lesvos, Greece, has been one of the key entry points for people seeking refuge through Europe. Lesvos is relatively untouched by the tourist industry; its rolling hills are covered with olive trees and the land is surrounded by water that has many breathtaking shades of blue, depending on how the bright sun meets it. The other reality is that it is a mere 16 km from Turkey across the water. People facing dire situations make the desperate decision to go on a dangerous journey, risking their life, to seek refuge in Lesvos. More than half of the people making the journey are children, travelling through life-threatening conditions. To get to safety, these refugee survivors experienced no shelter, hunger, instability, past traumas, separation from families and being far from home. Yet, the tragedy is that thousands of people die every year trying to make the passage to this beautiful, quiet island.
Similarly, Bethlehem is just a rural town just a few miles south of Jerusalem. Around the time when Jesus was born, it was unable to support the flood of humanity that was forced upon it by the Roman census. We could barely imagine the chaos and emotions of both the weary, desperate travellers and the overwhelmed villagers. Yet, it was here, just as God promised, that hope was born into this world.
The refugee reality is a dire situation, but we are not without hope—without Jesus.
Dear Jesus, although the refugee reality is dire, You shine a light in these dark places. Thank You for being the hope of this world.
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