March 2006

Theological Reflection: Living in Faith or Fear?
Rev. Randy Johnson

As people of faith we are energized and empowered when we remember who God is and who we are. Let us first remember that we serve a God who was revealed in the life and experience of a refugee child named Jesus. In the gospel of Matthew chapter 2 we read:

"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 Joseph 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.’"

What if Egypt had refused to accept refugees and immigrants? What if Pharaoh had decided to construct not pyramids, but a great wall of stone around the boundaries of Egypt? What if Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus, God's son, had been turned away at the border? Like many immigrants. Joseph and Mary had left their homeland seeking refuge, looking for a safe community for their child. If they had been turned away and forced to return to Israel, most likely baby Jesus would have faced the same fate of all the baby boys in Bethlehem who were slaughtered by the jealous, fearful and furious King Herod. Joseph and Mary's voices would have been joined with the other voices of Bethlehem's parents who wept for their children and who refused to be comforted.

As people of faith we are called to remember who God is- God was revealed in the life and experience of a refugee child named Jesus.

As people of faith, we are also called to remember who we are. In Ephesians 2 we read:

“So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world...now then (in Christ) you are no longer strangers and aliens but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God."

The Scriptures teach us who we are by calling us to remember who we once were. In terms of Judeo-Christian faith, we who are non-Jews were once outsiders:  aliens, strangers, non-citizens. Many of those who were citizens of God's holy nation looked down upon us Gentiles as unclean, 2^nd class, unworthy. Even the temple in Jerusalem had a separate section walled off to keep at a distance Gentiles who wanted to worship the God of Israel but who were not citizens of the holy nation.

But this is in fact the place in the temple where the one-time Jewish refugee child, now a fully grown Jewish rabbi named Jesus came and turned upside down the tables of the moneychangers. His purpose, his mission was described in the same Scripture from Ephesians where we read: "But now in Christ you who were once far off have been brought…for Christ has broken down the dividing wall…that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace."

Here then is the teaching of Scripture:  the true God is the One who chose to enter this world as a refugee child named Jesus. This same Jesus, as a man, made it his mission to break down walls that separated citizens and aliens. We who are Gentiles were the aliens. Now as citizens of God's spiritual nation, we are called to follow Jesus in breaking down walls of division, which is the world's only hope for true peace.

Those of us who are Christians are quick to identify with Jesus. But as North Americans, it is not so hard to understand King Herod. How would you feel if you believed someone was going to take your home, your job, your security? That's what Herod feared when told of this child Jesus who was destined to become king. Herod was afraid that this little child was going to interfere with his life, his place, his power, his wealth and influence. So Herod's first instinct was to destroy or at least drive Jesus away.

This is a normal human reaction. It is easy for me to welcome immigrants to North America as long as I do not see them as a threat, as interfering with my life, my home, my job, my peace and security. But, I have to confess there are times when despite my faith, despite my love for Jesus and my dislike of Herod, fear creeps in. For example, since 9/11 there are times when I think the word "terrorist" when I see someone who looks like they are an immigrant from the Middle East. Fear and prejudice are reinforced and promoted toward all immigrants by politicians who use fear as a tool to win votes. We saw this in the campaign for governor four years ago with the promotion of a system of tracking immigrants through their driver's licenses including a TV ad that said, "terrorists are here."

As followers of Jesus we are called to live in faith; but as North Americans we are increasingly being encouraged to live in fear.  It is up to us to choose which path we will follow – the path of fear or the path of faith.