För ca 18 månader sedan framförde jag en hälsning på Sigtuna stiftelsen när Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) samlades för sitt årliga möte. Jag var ombedd av ärkebiskopen att representera Svenska kyrkan. Den hälsning jag framförde skulle lika gärna kunna vara framförd idag.
Den svenska desperata politiken gällande flyktingar är djupt bekymmersam. Det är viktigt att våra röster hörs. Och kyrkans röst i flyktingfrågan ska vila tungt på biblisk grund.
Hälsning på CCME:s (Churches Commission for migrants in Europe) möte i Sigtuna 140626. Tema: Crossing Boarders
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Dear brothers and sisters! Dear friends! What an honor for me to stand here infront of you all to give this greeting as a representative of Church of Sweden. I will great you all also from the newly installed archbishop Antje Jackelén who couldn´t participate this time but are happy that you all are here and for the theme of this meeting.
My contribution will go in line with my words in the morning prayer. The theme of this meeting is, as far as I have undersood – crossing boarders. As churches we have to remember and to remind us that God him or her self crossed boarders. What God did is that God became a human person. The Son in the trinnity became human, became a man, a Jew and lived in a jewish context. God the Son, in that sense, did not, as S:t Paul writes, regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. (Philippians 2:6-7)God crossed boarders. God also became a refugee in another contry during Jesus early childhood. God crossed boarders. Jesus walked through Samaria and talked to a despited woman. God crossed boarders. Jesus talked and visited and had a meal with persons who worked for the Roman custom system. God crossed boarders. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead. God crossed boarders.
As churches we must live the incarnation. We are called to follow Jesus and to cross political and other boarders and limitations that people build to help our brothers and sisters in deep need who run for their lives, who flee from their home countries where they can´t stay because of political or religious conviction or sexual identity, to live what the Rotarians call ”Service above self”. We have to hear there cry, and not only to hear but to help, to be a compangion because we are called to love and called to live the love. We have to raise our voices together for a more human Europe! Together for a human Europe – that is our challange and our task to stand up for. I´m glad that you all are here today to share with each other, to inspire each other. We need each other in this. We saw claerly through the election to european parliament that dark powers of xenophobia are becoming stronger and stronger in Europe. To be a part of that is to be anti christian.
Dear sisters and brothers, as created in the immage of God we are called to love and create. Let us take that seriously and se how we booth concretely can help our brothers and sisters in need and how we can influence our goverments in our home countries so that political situation can change in Europe. Let us also see how we can inspire our parishes how we can recieve and in words and deeds love our brothers and sisters who are refugees or immigrants to feel at home. The former archbishop of South Africa Desmond Tutu went to P W Botha and ponited at the Bible and said to him: ”I´m sorry my friend but we take this book seriously.” Dear all: Let us take the Book seriously and be an incarnational church and live concretly the love of God. I wish you all good and inspiring days in the name of Jesus Christ! Thank you!