June 20
“”The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt:
I am the Lord your God.””
— Leviticus 19:34
World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe. It falls each year on 20 June and shines a light on the rights, needs and dreams of those forced to flee.
This year, World Refugee Day focuses on solidarity with refugees. Solidarity means honouring refugees not just with words but with actions. It means listening to them and making space for their stories. It means defending their right to seek safety and finding solutions to their plight, ending conflicts so they can return home in safety.
It means ensuring they have opportunities to thrive in the communities that have welcomed them and providing countries with the resources they need to include and support refugees. But above all, solidarity means saying, clearly and courageously, that refugees are not alone and that we will not turn our backs.
The latest Global Trends report, published in June 2024 by the UNHCR, (the United Nations Refugee Agency), provides key statistical trends on forced displacement. It includes the latest official statistics on refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced and stateless people, as well as the number of refugees who have returned home. At the end of 2023, an estimated 117.3 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing the public order. Based on operational data, UNHCR estimates that forced displacement has continued to increase in the first four months of 2024 and by the end of April 2024 is likely to have exceeded 120 million. The increase to 117.3 million at the end of 2023 constitutes a rise of 8 per cent or 8.8 million people compared to the end of 2022 and continues a series of year-on-year increases over the last 12 years. One in every 69 people, or 1.5 per cent of the entire world’s population, is now forcibly displaced. This is nearly double the 1 in 125 people who were displaced a decade ago.
ELCA social statements and resolutions affirm the church's support for a generous policy of welcoming refugees and immigrants. As the social statement For Peace in God's World (1995) explains, "the Church serves when it holds power accountable, advocates justice, stands with those who are poor and vulnerable, provides sanctuary, and meets human need."
Prayer (from Lutheran Family Services)
God of the sojourner,
You leave no one behind, no one alone, and no one to dwell in darkness or fear.
You led your people out of Egypt to safety and a promised land. You protected Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus as they traveled into hiding from the murderous Herod.
This day, walk with all refugees fleeing for their lives, with those who wait in tents and open fields clinging to a small hope to rejoin family and rebuild their lives, and for all refugees who now dwell in darkness as our nation closes its door to them.
Our hearts are broken. Refugees who would be our new neighbors are now being forced to stay in harm’s way and away from the loving embrace we are ready to offer as a new family in a new land.
But fear will not overcome us. You are our light.
We pray for justice. We pray for compassion. We pray for all who govern that they may be blessed with wisdom and the courage to reflect your love in a broken world.
God, in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.