Xenophobia

I received the following e-mail and wanted to share these thought with as many others as possible. 

Afrikaans below

Brothers

It is with an aching heart and a sense of shock that we watched in the news media the terrible violence against foreigners in our communities these past two weeks.  We have been ripped in our hearts and have slunk to God’s throne of grace with our corporate confession and repentance to plead with Him to stretch out His almighty hand to bring to an end this diabolic mass hysteria and cruel atrocities.  We thank God for the relative calm that has returned after seeing burning bodies, homes and shelters scar our news images.  However, the pain is not over for a long time.  There are grieving and embittered strangers who have fled hastily across our borders to their own nearby countries, where they also will not be readily integrated.   They need our sincere prayers.  There are still thousands of uprooted people in church buildings, community centres, tents and temporary shelters who had to flee after they had lost everything.  They have nowhere to go; no means of providing food themselves; in many cases no warm clothes and blankets - they are strangers among us and in need.

God taught His people, Israel, to never oppress or wrong a stranger. (Ex 22:21  23:9,12  Lev 19:33,34  Deut 10:18,19  14:29  24:17-19  26:12,13   29:19  Ezek 22:7,29  Zac 7:9,10).  The motivation was that Abraham and Moses, and indeed the whole nation in slavery, had been strangers at a time. (Gen 15:13  23:4  Ex 2:22)  Even David saw himself as a stranger (1Chron 29:15) while Job chose to open his home to strangers. (31:32)  God included the stranger, who lived among His people, in His paschal provision (Ex 12:19, 48, 49) and with the giving of the Law He included the stranger, alongside the orphaned, in His directions for justice to be exercised.  (Ex 20:10  Deut 5:14  16:11-13)  And when  Jesus gave His message in Matthew 25 He identified Himself with the stranger and called on His disciples to love and care for such people. (Mat 25:35,43)  From this overwhelming flood of revelational testimony the necessity of an open heart and hand toward the stranger in your gates is nothing short of an absolute truth that calls for our obedient response.

That is the basis of this call to prayer for traumatised and suffering strangers in our land.  But even more than that:  to also give in an organised manner towards the care and feeding of these people in your region.  Find out where churches or communities are caring for these uprooted people and offer to help.  Let our shepherds and ministers provide leadership.  Find out where the need is, what the need entails, and how the need can be met.

Finally, the spiritual need of our own people, who have been demonised by this violence inside, need to be addressed.  There are many in our communities who are sitting upon an acrid taste of guilt and reproach.  Many others , especially the younger ones, have been badly traumatised by what they observed and by what they were passively drawn into.  These are inner wounds than can stick with one for a lifetime.  Pray for healing and restoration of our sick and wounded communities.  

Do go to Daniel’s prayer (9:3-14) in which he identifies with the sins of his nation, and let us apply that prayer to our South African situation and do likewise.

Your brother in Christ

Rev Richard M Verreynne

rmverreynne@telkomsa.net

Broers

Dit is met hartseer en skok wat ons die afgelope twee weke op nuusmedia die verskriklike geweld teen vreemdelinge in ons gemeenskappe waargeneem het.  Ons is in ons siele geruk en het God se genadetroon met korporatiewe belydenis en berou genader om te pleit dat Sy alhoë hand hierdie diaboliese massa-histerie en wreedaardige optrede op ’n ent bring.  Ons dank die Here vir die mate van kalmte wat teruggekeer het nadat brandende liggame, huise en skuilings ons nuus ontsier het.  Die pyn is egter nog lank nie verby nie.  Daar is bedroefde en verbitterde vlugtelinge wat inderhaas oor ons grense teruggekeer het na hul eie lande, waar hulle ook nie maklik geïntegreer word nie.  Hulle het ons opregte gebede nodig.  Daar is steeds duisende ontworteldes in kerkgeboue, gemeenskapsale, tente en tydelike skuilings wat moes vlug nadat hulle alles verloor het.  Hulle het nie heenkome nie; nie die vermoë om self kos te voorsien nie; nie altyd warm klere en komberse nie – hulle is vreemdelinge tussen ons in nood.

God het Sy volk, Israel, geleer dat hulle nooit die vreemdeling onder hulle mag verdruk of te na kom nie. (Ex 22:21  23:9,12  Lev 19:33,34  Deut 10:18,19  14:29  24:17-19  26:12,13   29:19  Eseg 22:7,29  Sag 7:9,10.  Die motivering was dat Abraham en Moses, en die hele volk in slawerny, vreemdelinge was (Gen 15:13  23:4  Ex 2:22)  Selfs Dawid het homself as ’n vreemdeling beskou (1Kron 29:15) terwyl Job doelbewus sy huis oopgestel het vir vreemdelinge. (31:32)  God het vreemdelinge wat tussen Sy volk was by die pasga-voorsiening ingesluit (Ex 12:19, 48, 49) en met die gee van die wet ook optrede teenoor vreemdelinge, naas die wese, by Sy voorskrifte ingesluit.  (Ex 20:10  Deut 5:14  16:11-13)  En toe Jesus Sy profetiese rede gee, het Hy Homself met die vreemdeling geïdentifiseer en Sy dissipels aangespoor om teenoor diesulkes liefde en sorg te betoon. (Mat 25:35,43)  Uit hierdie stortvloed getuienis neem ons ter harte dat daar ’n absolute waarheid in God se openbaring is dat mense wat in God en Sy voorskrifte glo en Hom gehoorsaam, ’n oop hart teenoor die vreemdeling in sy poorte moet hê.

Vandaar hierdie oproep om te bid vir getraumatiseerde en noodlydende vreemdelinge.  Maar meer as dit:  om ook georganiseerd te gee vir die versorging en voeding van hierdie mense wat daar in julle omgewing mag wees.  Vind uit waar kerke of gemeenskappe na sulke mense omsien en bied hulp aan.  Laat ons herders en leraars hierin die leiding neem.  Vind uit waar die nood is, wat die nood behels en hoe die nood gelenig kan word. 

Laastens ook die geestelike behoefte van ons eie mense wat deur hierdie geweldsgees gedemoniseer is.  Daar is baie wat in ons gemeenskappe sit met die wrang smaak van skuld en verwyt.  Baie is hard en vereelt in hul siele.  Baie ander, veral jongeres, is erg getraumatiseer deur wat hulle gesien het en waarby hulle passief betrek is.  Hierdie is innerlike wonde wat nog vir ’n leeftyd by mense kan bly.  Bid vir genesing en heelmaking van ons siek en seer gemeenskappe.

Gaan neem gerus Daniël se gebed van identifisering in hoofstuk 9:3-14 en bid dit op toepaslike wyse in hierdie Suid-Afrikaanse situasie in.

U broer in Christus

Ds Richard M Verreynne

rmverreynne@telkomsa.net