Resources for Refugee Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015
For teaching and other helps, including “Refugee Sunday Kit:”
go to http://www.lss-elca.org/blog/syrian-refugee-crisis-how-you-can-help/
Bible Study Questions using Matthew 2:1-16
Part 1) Before looking at the Matthew passage, share what you know about the Syrian refugee crisis:
-Who are the refugees leaving Syria?
-What are their circumstances?
-Why are they leaving?
-What do you know about the Syrian civil war?
-Where are the refugees going?
Part 2) Now share what you know about the Nativity story:
-To whom was Jesus born? What can you say about Mary?
-Was Mary given a choice? How?
-What was unusual about the pregnancy?
-Who was his earthly father? What can you say about him?
-Where was Jesus born? What was unusual about that?
-Why was Jesus born where he was?
-Who came to visit the baby Jesus?
Part 3) Now read aloud Matthew 2:1-16 and discuss:
-Who was Herod?
-What news did the Wise Men give him?
-Why did that interest him?
-What instructions did he give the Wise Men?
-What was Herod’s intentions?
-What did the angel tell Joseph?
-What did Joseph and the Holy family do?
-What significance is in the fact that they traveled “by night”?
-Were their fears founded? What did Herod do?
-If you were in Joseph and Mary’s position, what would you have done?
-What would have motivated you?
-What obstacles would block you from fleeing Herod?
-What risks would you have taken?
-How would you have wanted the Egyptians to treat you once you got there?
-If you needed assistance, would you have wanted Egyptians to give it to you?
Part 4) Discuss the meaning.
-Could God have chosen any circumstances for the birth of Jesus?
So whatever details surround the birth of Jesus, why can we assume they are God’s choice and will?
-The mother of God’s son was a humble country girl; he was born in an animal’s stable because
there was no room at the inn; and now we know his family had to escape from their homeland to
avoid oppression and death.
-What do these circumstances reveal about the nature of God?
-About God’s priorities?
-About the kind of people God identifies with?
-Why is it important to remember that Jesus, Mary and Joseph were refugees?
-How does it put Jesus in solidarity with refugees of every time and place?
Part 5) Discuss Matthew 2:1-16 in light of the Syrian refugee crisis:
-What similarities are there between the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt and the Syrian refugee crisis?
-What do Mary and Joseph have in common with Syrian parents fleeing with their children?
-If your family and children were under threat of death in Syria, what would you do?
-What obstacles would you overcome? What risks would you take?
-How would you want other countries to treat you? What help would you like?
-In Matthew 28, Jesus identifies with the “least of these” who are hungry, thirsty, naked, sick or
imprisoned. In what ways does this story also identify him with refugees?
-How are we to respond as faithful Christians?
Preaching Points
Use the text for the first Sunday after Christmas, Year A: Matthew 2:13-23
-The Holy Family escaped to Egypt to find refuge from the violence and tyranny of Herod, just as Syrian
families are fleeing their homeland to escape violence and tyranny of ISIS and President Assad.
-The strange circumstances of the Nativity and early days of Jesus set the agenda for the life and
teachings of Jesus that emphasize God’s overriding concern for the poor, disadvantaged, homeless,
oppressed (as revealed in the Magnificat, the Sermon on the Mount/Plain, Matthew 28, etc.).
-In the story of the Nativity and Jesus’ early life, the Flight to Egypt demonstrates ow God stands in
solidarity with displaced and refugee families who leave their homeland in search of safety and better
lives.
-Joseph and Mary escaped Herod’s tyranny. We would do the same in their circumstances out of love
for our children and desire for a better life. We are blessed to live in a country that is safe and
prosperous.
-In pondering the story of the Flight to Egypt, we would hope that the Holy Family received help and
support from people along the way, as well as a warm welcome from the Egyptians. It’s what we would
want for ourselves if we were in the same boat.
-Because Jesus calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, we may look with sympathy upon the wave of
refugees and support them through LIRS and other ways.