The
first thing I noticed as I entered the Refugee Camp in Slavonski Brod, Croatia
less than three weeks ago was a big Christmas tree shining in the middle of the
camp. It was a sign of hope in a place through which thousands of the world
homeless journey, day and night on their way to a hopefully better place and better
future.
The
second thing that made me think about the birth of Jesus every day in the refugee
camp were the two shelters our ROM team was building. We were told that they
would be used as the nursing places for the refugee mothers with babies during
the cold and wet winter months. In a way they would be to the refugee mothers
and refugee babies what the sheltering manger was to Mary and the baby Jesus on
the cold and uninviting night in Bethlehem the night Jesus was born.
The
third thing that made me reflect on Christmas was the picture of constant
movement of refugees - families with children, young and old alike, through the
camp and onto the trains ready to take the refugees further, to Slovenia,
Austria, Germany. They made me think of how Joseph, Mary and Jesus were forced
to run away from their country after Herod had decided to kill the child. In
alike manner those refugees are continuing to run for their lives away from
their homelands in which the blood-thirsty warlords are seeking to destroy
their lives.
And
the forth thing that reflected the spirit of Christmas were the volunteers,
full of enthusiasm, serving and blessing the refugees with the gifts of warm
clothes, hats, gloves, jackets, shoes, food and hot tea in the way the
shepherds and the wise men of the East blessed the new born Jesus with their
presence and gifts.
Yes,
there is much that links the birth of Jesus with the fate of the millions of
refugees and immigrants. In fact, singing “Silent Night, Holy Night” passionately
at this time and indulging in many Christmas gifts without noticing or caring
about the global movement of the millions of the world homeless will make us
hypocritical followers of Jesus, who might be good Christians according to the
standards of the popular and convenient Christianity, but are profoundly disconnected
with the heart of Jesus.
The
same Jesus whom we romantically adore as a helpless baby later in His life said
quite seriously, “Whatever you did for the list of those you did for me”. He
meant a business because He said He would judge us on the basis of what we do
about it.
