January 1: A Prayer for the Stranger
♫ Music:
Friday, January 1
Scripture: Matthew 25:35
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me...
A PRAYER FOR THE STRANGER
Lord, you are God, and your name, Jesus—Yeshu’a-Yesu’a-Isa—is the name above all names.
Oh great Savior, King of Israel and of All Nations! Let us contemplate the meaning of Your appearance in the Temple in Jerusalem at the Festival of Rededication. You give us hope that You will fulfill Your promises. You are mighty to save. As we have watched the horror of jihad worldwide, we give thanks that your mercy and lovingkindness endures forever and ever. You are with us.
Lord, I give thanks to you:
For saving the lives of my Jewish grandparents, refugees, who were able to immigrate to the United States despite great adversity, because of the kindness of strangers and the help of family;
I am grateful for the Union Rescue Mission, established by Biola’s founder Lyman Stewart, which is still serving refugees from want and sorrow on Skid Row. Bless them and all faith-based organizations that are ministering to the downtrodden and the oppressed;
For Biola’s first academic dean, the great humanitarian William E. Blackstone, who, inspired by the Lovers of Zion movement in Russia, compassionately advocated for Jewish refugees, urging world leaders to support emigration to the United States and Palestine at the turn of the century. Lord, may his memory inspire this generation to care for those who are strangers and outsiders;
For Biola alumni serving refugees in Jordan and Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, Israel and Egypt, and throughout the world, working with NGOs and governments, churches and grassroots advocacy groups. I am especially grateful that one of our alumnae, is head of the UN World Food Programme field office at Za’atri Refugee Camp (where the murals featured in today’s devotional are located) and that two others are working with Yezidi and Muslim refugees at schools in Kurdistan through Servants Group International and the Classical Schools of the Medes;
For our students, faculty, staff and alumni who are volunteering as tutors, staffers, and donors with Voice of the Refugees, a local Christian organization working with Middle Eastern and North African refugees being resettled in America;
For those who love and pray for the Palestinians and all Arab and Muslim peoples in the hours of their distress, and for those who love and pray for Israel and the Jewish people in the hour of their distress, and all peoples persecuted for their faith or lowly status;
That You are with those experiencing persecution, rape, torture, humiliation, loss, and death;
For those dear Muslims who are being turned to you amidst jihad and hatred. Lead them to repentance, Lord!
Lord God, help us
To edify our congregations!
To share our faith!
Not to fear our enemies!
To love non-Christians as we love our own.
To welcome and disciple new believers!
To be instruments of your shalom in this suffering world.
Oh Lamb of God, shepherd us as we contemplate the darkness of this hour: may our world see Your great light shining, beckoning mankind, like Abraham, foreigners and strangers in a broken world, home to Your fold, where all of us belong.
Amen.
Judith Rood, Professor of History and Middle Eastern Studies
The Za’atari Project
Joel Bergner
Acrylic and Spray Paint on Metal
Za’atari Syrian Refugee Camp, Jordan
About the Artist and Art
Joel Bergner’s street paintings can be spotted in the U.S., Brazil, Cuba, Kenya, Poland, Mexico, Mozambique, El Salvador, Cape Verde and the Middle East. His murals and canvases feature an eclectic mix of vibrant colors and intense imagery, exploring social topics and presenting the stories of those who are marginalized by society. Bergner organizes public art initiatives with youth and communities around the world battling a variety of challenging life situations including incarceration, armed conflict, mental and physical disabilities, homelessness and social exclusion. His work features a combination of acrylic and spray paint, stencil art, and mosaics, layered in a way that allows his many artistic influences to blend seamlessly--abstract art, current graffiti and street art styles, Mexican muralism, tribal and traditional art forms from around the world, among others. He immerses himself in the cultural fabric from which many of his artistic topics are derived, regularly spending long periods of time living and working in the communities where his projects take place. He speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese fluently and has studied elementary Arabic and Swahili.
The Za’atari Project features workshops with refugee children that focus on art and educational topics. Kids learn about hygiene and sanitation issues in the Za’atari Syrian Refugee Camp, water conservation in their new desert climate, and a variety of artistic techniques. They explore conflict resolution; their hopes and dreams for the future of their country and themselves; their nostalgia for everything and everyone that they’ve lost in the war; as well as the importance of building a new life. The project aims to make a difference in the lives of the adult facilitators as well: local artists and educators learn how to organize and lead their own community-based arts and education projects.
Artist Website: www.joelartista.com
Website for Zaatari Project: http://joelartista.com/syrian-refugees-the-zaatari-project-jordan/
About the Music
Song of the Refugee
Lyrics
I am a stranger here in a strange land,
I left behind me my home and kin.
I am an alien, I am unwanted,
And there is no one to take me in.
Who will befriend me? Who will defend me?
Who will extend me an open hand?
Who’ll stand beside me? who’ll walk before me?
For I’m a stranger here in your land.
Down in my homeland, while you are sleeping,
The voice of weeping is never still.
Down in my village, place of my childhood
The soldier enters to maim and kill.
And in my dreaming I hear the screaming,
While blood is streaming across the land.
Who’ll stand beside me? Who’ll walk before me?
For I’m a stranger here in your land.
Here in your city I seek my people,
Who know my sorrow, who know my pain.
Who speak my language, who love my homeland,
And from the ashes we’ll build again.
My soul is yearning, my heart is burning,
For my returning to my own land.
Who’ll stand beside me? Who’ll walk before me?
For I’m a stranger here in your land.
About the Composer/Performer
Ken Medema (b. 1943) is a composer–singer–songwriter who has been performing in the United States, Canada, and Europe for more than thirty years. Medema originally began performing as a music therapist. Some of his best known songs have been created during live improvisation during performances. His lyrics generally provide social commentary on themes such as justice, hunger, poverty, homelessness, and Christian charity. In 1985, Ken founded his own independent recording company (Brier Patch Music) through which he has released most of his 26 albums. The business was named after Brer Rabbit’s home from the legendary Uncle Remus stories. “Brer Rabbit lived in a place not comfortable for anyone else,” Medema says, “and we decided to follow him there.” Song of the Refugee appears on Medema’s album entitled 25 to Life.
Website: www.kenmedema.com