Mary and Joseph, Refugees
“As I ponder what these last few days before the Nativity might have meant for Mary and Joseph, I can’t help but see the connection between their journey to Bethlehem and flight to Egypt with the travels of so many refugee families searching for a new, safe home…I know that Mary didn’t have a baby registry set up with Amazon, and likely no baby showers were providing all her newborn’s needs, but I can imagine that she was longing for a safe, warm, and clean bed and the local midwife’s attention when her time came. Joseph, as a carpenter, very likely had little experience with the women’s work of labor and delivery. And then, just when the new family might have felt a bit secure, God reveals the danger they are in should they remain in Bethlehem, so off they flee to a new, safe home where they will be strangers, refugees in this new land. In so many human ways, they were on their own in this endeavor much like the refugees who are longing to come to a country of safety but where everything will be new to them—new languages, new customs, a whole new life.” — Judith Schellhammer, chair Resolution Review Committee, Episcopal Diocese Michigan, posted December 22, 2016, on the website of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. www.edomi.org.
Refugees la Sagrada Familia wood print Kelly Latimore
My heart goes out to the many refugees in our world simply seeking basic safety for their own lives and their family. I have mainly become acquainted with several DREAMERS, undocumented immigrants who came with their parents years ago and now seek education and status. Their situation is very tenuous. This country is the one they know and where they have grown up. They have no connection to their country of origin. We would deport some of the hardest working groups of people I have experienced, people who already enrich and broaden our culture.
I try to connect to them in some small way by remembering that all of our ancestors were simultaneously refugees to this country unless we are Native American.
My heart also goes to the many Afghan refugees coming to our country, who are starting over with no knowledge of the culture or language. Simply turning on the stove or using the washing machine is as foreign as our language. Yet, we also have much to learn from them. Endurance. Bravery. Trusting.
I also see ourselves in our search for God as refugees, often deciding to leave a place or point of view of our origin, seeking more, a larger view of God, a new life, continually learning a new language. We step out on roads less traveled. It also cannot be a straightforward journey, definitely a sacred adventure where guides can be helpful.
Advent is always a good starting point for this journey.
Joanna joannaseibert.com
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