DAY 17

"Rainbow Across Yellowstone Lake" by David Grimes

LGBT people

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A Greeting
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
(Psalm 27:7)

A Reading
Owe no one anything, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery;
You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’;
and any other commandment, are summed up in this word,
‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a
neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
(Romans 13:8-10)

Music

 
Meditative Verse
Wait for the Lord; be strong,
and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
(Psalm 27:14)
 
A Reflection
  According to Jesus, the question isn't 'who is my neighbour?'
but 'to whom will I be a neighbour, to whom will I be a friend,
to whom will I be family? We are called to be allies to the
marginalized and the hurting in our world. Not just allies,
but neighbours. Not just neighbours, but friends, as Jesus was a
friend of even the sinners - and aren't we all the sinners. Not just
friends, but family, brothers and sisters. Not just family but to love
them as we love ourselves. And it doesn't get any more intimate
than that. That's empathy isn't it? To love someone as you love
yourself. To see the world through their eyes and have
that much love for them.
- transcription of a presentation by Justin Lee for the Gay Christian Network annual conference,
found on his blog, "Crumbs from the Communion Table"
 
Verse for the Day
Guard me as the apple of the eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings.
(Psalm 17:8)

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Uncredited image of gay Syrian refugees attending the opening of a shelter
for gay migrants and refugees in Berlin in February, 2016 found on sbs.com

'Love is the fulfilling of the law', says Paul in Romans 13. 'Love does no wrong to a neighbour'. He tells us that loving one another fulfills the law of Jesus' command to us in Matthew 22. We are commanded by Jesus to show love to our neighbour. In that sense, Paul says, it is a legal prescription. A question to ask ourselves is how much we feel bound to this commandment-law? And how much do we feel we can be discerning with it, offering it only in grades and versions we feel comfortable with? Jesus' law is about love, but the laws of nations can be anything but loving. These kinds of laws can be a great source of danger for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered refugees. Often traveling on their own and/or abandoned by families and communities, fear stalks their every step. It is a harrowing passage. LGBT people face the same fears and anxieties as all other refugees, but they also fear violence from within the refugee community, and also the country of asylum. The coming together of differing traditions in the camps causes cultural clashes where belief systems and values run into conflict. Although much of the world has decriminalized being gay, 75 countries, including those from which many refugees flow, maintain criminal status bearing imprisonment for gay people. Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan and parts of Nigeria and Somalia are all nations where being gay is punished by death. Paul's invocation of love as law reminds us that the laws of nations can be met in our hearts by the commandment of Jesus. 




This animated film describes the journey and experience
of a lesbian in Iraq who emigrates to avoid death.
(Click here to go to video.)

A group in Berlin have opened a shelter for gay migrants and refugees
who are in danger in camps or refugee communities.
(Click here to go to video.)

Finally, the Canadian feature documentary "Last Chance" (2012) follows five people
who are seeking asylum in Canada from persecution in their own country.
(Click here to find out more.)  

†

LC† Welcoming the Stranger is a project of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto.
Join our Facebook page. Follow us @LuTConnect.

DAY 16

"Uganda" by Neil Palmer for the International Center for Tropical Agriculture

People with Disabilities

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A Greeting
It is for you, O Lord, that I wait;
it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
(Psalm 38:15)

A Reading
Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of
Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.
They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his
speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him
aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his
ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to
heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is,
‘Be opened.’ And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue
was released, and he spoke plainly. 
(Mark 7:31-35)

Music

This video is an excerpt from the documentary "Touch the Sound",
about deaf composer and percussionist Evelyn Glennie.
"A Little Prayer" is composed by Glennie, who performs it here.

Meditative Verse
If one member suffers, all suffer together with it;
if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
(1 Corinthians 12:26)
 
A Prayer
O Lord Jesus, God of Compassion, during Your time on earth,
You were particularly interested in the outcast and abused.
You healed those struggling with blindness, deafness, paralysis,
and other kinds of non-visible illness or disability.  After You
were arrested, You were abandoned by your friends, and while
on the cross You were forsaken by God, your Father. You were
abused and broken on the cross. You understand, as no one else can,
the fears, pain, loneliness, despair, and feelings of abandonment
of society's most vulnerable. May we too have the compassion and
empathy You showed for those struggling with illness or disability,
both here in our communities and in refugee camps all around the
world.  May we reach out in Your Name to protect and assist the
vulnerable in all societies.  May we reflect Your love
in all our interactions. Amen.
- written by Karen Morris for Lutherans Connect

Verse for the Day
You are the body of Christ
and individually members of it.
(1 Corinthians 12:27)

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"Murchison Falls, Nile River, Uganda" by Rod Waddington

The bible describes a very complex series of societal responses to those who are differently abled. The biblical texts were written in eras when people believed that God could, and did, visit hardship upon them, in response to individual or family sins. In this way, some of the bible texts about people with disabilities are very difficult for us to accept at face value today. Jesus, by contrast, goes out of his way to separate 'sin' from 'physical condition'. His interactions with those he heals present a way of manifesting outwardly the wholeness already present in each human being. For migrants and refugees, this wholeness is being challenged at every turn. Those with disabilities are often at a tremendous disadvantage in making their escape from persecutions and are sometimes left behind in the crisis scramble for safety. There is often not enough in the way of resources available in transit and refugee camps to provide proper care. The care often falls to family members, who are also fighting for basic survival. People with disabilities are much more likely to experience physical violence and sexual abuse. (Read more on all of these issues here.) Despite these overwhelming odds, many are able to survive and find spaces of personal dignity. Paul's image of the 'body of Christ' remains a way for us all to think of our connectedness. We are all equal members, regardless of what we look like. Built in the image of God, we participate 
in the body of Christ as one. 

This video from the UNHCR describes the ways that two different men
find to overcome their physical challenges within refugee camp life.

This second video follows a Syrian family with a child with special needs,
as they make a new life in a refugee camp in Turkey. (Click here to watch video.)

Many thanks to Karen Morris for her collaboration in curating this page.

  †

LC† Welcoming the Stranger is a project of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto.
Join our Facebook page. Follow us @LuTConnect.

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 The 2016 LC† devotional project has now finished.
It ran from February 10 - March 20, 2016.
 
Come back then and join us at Advent, Lent, Pentecost, 
and other times of the year for our seasonal devotionals.

Blessings on your day!

 †

The LC† devotional projects are a ministry of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto.
Join our Facebook page. Follow us @LuTConnect.