A friend of mine was recently in Greece. Not to see historic sites or ancient wonders. He was there to see present day treasures washed ashore.
The refugee stream from war-torn and oppressive regimes has become ancient news. We are almost immune to the tragedy. We are oversaturated with information.
My friend felt the fear and the thankfulness face-to-face. The little that he was able to provide in way of humanitarian aid was eagerly accepted.
We come with fear to the refugee crisis. We wonder if terrorism will enter our shores if we bring refugees here. We disguise our fear by saying that we cannot possibly accommodate an influx of people, nor can we possibly assimilate that kind of workforce in an already beleaguered economy.
We miss thankfulness that comes with a refugee crisis. A refugee, by definition is looking for a refuge, a safe place, a harbour from storm. Their joy in living in safety is contagious. Their eagerness to build up the foundations of their adopted society is unrelenting.
My friend spoke to both my understanding of our society’s fears and missing of joy. He took me into the Christian Holy Week that is now upon us. He related that Jesus joyfully washed the dirty, path torn feet of Judas.
His betrayer.
A terrorist to the safety of Jesus’ community.
That community has survived and thrived. And we are worried about our small patch of dirt?