What Do You See?

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Jesus) said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And (Jesus) said to him, “You have answered right; do this, and you will live.” But (the lawyer), desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:25-29 (RSV)

I recently received this poster from the United Nations Refugee Agency… 

What do you see? A boatload of refugees. Terrorists and rapists? Or the world’s tired and poor—the wretched refuse longing to breathe free? Look closer… 

Who do you see? White faces and black faces. Men, women, children. (What courage, as well as desperation, it must take to board this boat with your baby!) Who do you see? Future Terrorists and gangsters? Or future cooks and housekeepers, construction workers and farm workers, restaurant owners and taxpayers?

This photo was taken by documentary photographer Massimo Sestini about 5 km north of the Libyan coast, just before the occupants were rescued by the Italian coastguard, on 7 June 2014. Look again… 

What are they doing? Smiling at the helicopter hovering above them…because they know that they will not perish in the sea.

According to the United Nations 65M individuals have been forcibly displaced from their homes by conflict, violence, or persecution. 21M of these are refugees, and about half of those are children. Over half of the 21M are from just three countries: Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

This picture of a crowded blue vessel surrounded by the black void reminded me of another photograph I had seen years before:

 

the earth as photographed by the Apollo 8 astronauts in 1969

All humanity on that blue sphere gliding through the heavens…all of us seeking a future free of persecution and violence and war. That boatload of refugees on the poster is a microcosm of our earth.

I see our brothers and sisters.

Prayer: Oh God of Heaven and Earth, you loved this earth so much to send us your son. We read in Deuteronomy that you love the sojourner, and we are commanded to  love the sojourner for we were sojourners in the land of Egypt. We pray that you will give us the vision to recognize our brothers and sisters wherever they are. Amen 

Bill Wehrbein (reprinted from 2017)