Devotional 12-16-22

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

So, he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” --Matthew 2:13-15

  

Recently, I was fortunate to take a trip to Türkiye (preferred spelling of Turkey) and Greece. A highlight of the trip was a sunrise hot-air balloon ride over the lava formations of Cappadocia, Türkiye. Ancient volcanic activity and years of erosion of the volcanic ash left a valley of tall peaks and deep crevasses. From the air, we could see what looked like doors and windows in the rock. Being the scholar I am, my first thought was, “That must be where the trolls and fairies live.” Over centuries, various people had carved caves and tunnels in the soft lava rock. These were people fleeing and hiding for one reason or another. Refugees. Jews, Christians, Muslims in turn, hiding for their very lives. 

From the Scripture above, we learn that Jesus and his parents were also refugees, fleeing into Egypt. Since they were able to return, we assume they received a level of hospitality while in Egypt. 

Today, the word “refugee” often has a negative connotation. We feel sorry for them but throw our hands in the air and proclaim we can’t do anything about the situation. Thoughts and prayers but no action.

My last year of teaching, I had a Syrian girl in my class. She, her mother and sister came to this area where they had some relatives while the father/husband was in Syria awaiting a visa. I got to know this mother and her sweet girls. A year later, the infamous photo of a dead Syrian boy on a Mediterranean beach made the news. When I looked at that photo, I thought it could have been my darling student. 

Perhaps we would look at refugees with different eyes if we transposed the faces of our loved ones onto their bodies. Or, the face of our Lord, who, himself, was once a refugee.

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” --Hebrews 13:2

Anita Gardner Farrell