Second Sunday After Christmas: Recognizing Jesus in the Refugee, the Immigrant, the Unusual

Scripture Basis

Matthew 2:13-15,19-23 (NRSV)

Now after the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son."

When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead." Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean."

Blog 

I think the Year 2010 will go down in the history books as the year in which the only subject that got more media attention than LGBT issues was immigration.  Arizona's draconian immigration law, and the further action of not allowing ethnic based education in the schools of Arizona brought the subject of immigration to the forefront.  We attempted to pass the Dream Act which would have allowed the children of illegal immigrants to become documented immigrants in exchange for service in our Military or going to school to be educated.  Due to the excessive pressure of conservatives the bill was defeated twice in the United States Senate. 

These and other issues cause me to ask the question: What would America do if Jesus came as a refugee, an immigrant from another place?  What would Christians do with Jesus if we thought he came as an illegal immigrant? 

One of our problems in American and European Christianity is that we have Anglicized Jesus.  Jesus was not Caucasian.  Jesus was not American or European.  Jesus was a Jew, a middle eastern individual. Jesus lived in a time when his country was under the oppression of the Roman Empire.  Jesus was conceived outside of the marital bond.  Shortly after Jesus was born, he became a child of a refugee family.  They fled Bethlehem due to the coming danger in which Herod was about to slaughter the Holy Innocents which we commemorated on Wednesday, December 29.  

Jesus as a refugee and immigrant in a foreign land is not the kind of image we Caucasians like to talk too much about.  It challenges our comfort zones.  It causes us to face our racism, heterosexism and sexism.  When we hear stories of the refugees of Rwandan's, and the Somalians, many Americans both white and black, female and male, gay or straight, Christians and Athiests have said: "Let them stay in their own country.  Don't come here and take our jobs, communities, homes and safety away from us."   What will our response be if Uganda passes their draconian law that being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is a crime that could result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty, and Ugandan's flee to America looking for safety?   Will we tell Jesus in the fleeing refuge "Go back home, we have no space for you here?"

Our Anglicization of Jesus has caused American and even some European Christians, through the concept of colonization, to assume that our prejudices and apathy are somehow the prejudice and apathy of God.   Such practices have led to the slaughter of many Native Americans, African nations and peoples, as well as those of Asian and Eastern territories.  This is the same attitude that has led to the horribly violent rhetoric of Christianists towards the Islamic peoples.   This very rhetoric has led to the murder of Christians in other parts of the world by Al-Qaeda.  Such an attack occurred on New Year's Eve in Egypt.   

Following a New Year's Eve service at a Coptic Church in Alexandria Egypt an bomb (apparently a car bomb) exploded outside the church. Latest reports list 21 people as killed in the attack.

"At least 43 people were wounded in the attack. It happened as worshippers were leaving a new year's service at the al-Qidiseen church shortly after midnight. Coptic Christians and Muslims clashed after the attack, but police moved in and used tear gas to restore order.
President Hosni Mubarak urged Egyptians to unite against 'terrorism'.
In a televised statement he blamed 'foreign hands' for the bombing. 'Wicked terrorists targeted the nation, Copts and Muslims,' he said."

More BBC coverage here.
The Guardian has coverage here.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has released this statement condemning the bombing:

"The new year's eve attack on Christians in Alexandria is yet another dreadful reminder of the pressure of Christian minorities are under in the Middle East, echoing the atrocities we have seen in recent weeks. The Coptic community and other Christian groups in Egypt can be sure of our deep sorrow at this terrible event and our continuing prayers and support for them. We know the long and honourable history of co-existence of Christians and Muslims in Egypt and are confident that the overwhelming majority of Egyptian people will join in condemning this and similar acts."

Pope Benedict, who has been raising the issue of violence against Christians in the Middle East for months now, has called for an Interfaith Peace summit in Assisi later this year.

What all Christians need to comprehend at some point is that God does not exist in our image, nor is God limited to what we think.  God is beyond our human perception, yet closer to us than the most minute cell of our body.  God is not limited to what is written about God in the Bible.  Though what is written in the Bible about God does provide us with some very important truths about who God in Jesus Christ is.   To better understand what the Bible teaches about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and humankind takes more than a face value reading.  It requires some study in to the language, culture and history of what is written there.  As long as we are on the subject of what is written in the Bible.  Let's remind ourselves of what is written in the Old Testament concerning immigrants (also called aliens)

"When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien.  The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 19:33).

This here is not some command that is a matter of a cultural taboo as is what an abomination "toevah" is.  This is a command to follow the Law of love your neighbor as yourself.  That is the reason that Jesus came among us.  That is why God gave us the law and the prophets.   To help us draw closer to God through the love of God, the love of neighbor and the love of self.  And Jesus himself said that "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." (Matt: 25: 40).

How are we recognizing Jesus in the refugee, the immigrant and those considered "unusual" in our time?  God became human in Jesus to represent and save all humankind not just a few chosen.  The Apostle Paul wrote: "There is no longer Jew or Greek, male or female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28).  All of us regardless of skin color, race, culture, religion, sexual orientation, immigration status, occupation, gender, gender identity/expression, economic condition, wealth status, language etc, are one in Christ Jesus, because in Christ, God became one of us.  In Jesus, no one is an illegal immigrant.

I would like to close this blog today with the exceptional New Testament reading taken from today's Liturgy.  May we make this our prayer throughout 2011. 

Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe.

Prayers

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday After Christmas, Book of Common Prayer, page 214).

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer, page 823).

O God, who created all peoples in your image, we thank you for the wonderful diversity of races, cultures, *sexual orientations and gender expressions/identities in this world.  Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of fellowship, and show us your presence in those who differ most from us, until our knowledge of your love is made perfect in our love for all your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. (Thanksgiving for the Diversity of Races and Cultures (*Sexual Orientations and Gender Expressions/Identities added by Blog Author), Book of Common Prayer, page 840).