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| "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.
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.
