Peace Sunday 2015 - Boundaries and Borders (French and German included)

2015, 7 pp
Refugees come across the boundaries to Europe, and our boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea become their death traps. People from Africa and the Middle East set out for better lands, forced by hardships with many causes. Because the boundaries are closed for them, the crossing must take place unseen. In the transition between the homeland left behind and the hoped for destination, these closed boundaries induce those in flight to entrust their fate to facilitators. It has been known for long just how dangerous these crossings over the open sea are, a few hundred kilometers in overloaded and hardly seaworthy boats. Sometimes, the facilitators send them in rubber dinghies on the dangerous journey that literally faces death. How desperate must people be who despite these dangers put their hope in this journey?

They are fleeing because others draw boundaries that exclude them and take away their space for living and any right to life. There are those who want the boundaries between religions and affiliations to be clear and sharp, as in Ukraine, Syria and Nigeria, and many other places.

Refugees who seek to establish a new place to live, intrude into our space: Will we also open up the boundaries of our spaces to live? What do we see in them? People that want to participate in our welfare? Not all in Europe are doing well – does the need and hardship of those newly arriving exceed our limits? Or do we see humans that will seek - together with us - the good, the welfare of our lands and cities? Bring new potential with them? Do we only hear what they ask from us, or do we also see what life-power could come with them? Martina Basso from the Mennonite Peace Center Berlin invites us with stimulating thoughts on Jeremiah 29:4-7 to a new perspective, that challenge both, refugees and those granting refuge, to find a new common ground.

These Peace Sunday worship resources are provided by the Peace Commission of Mennonite World Conference. We encourage their use by all MWC-related congregations on the designated Peace Sunday (20 September 2015), or another Sunday that fits the schedule of the congregation. This year’s material was prepared by Mennonites in Europe. God has sustained the Mennonite presence in Europe through times of suffering and difficulty for nearly 500 years. Resources included are: a responsive reading, sermon notes, stories and pictures. We trust that we can all be nurtured by the faithfulness of these brothers and sisters.

Reserve for:

Please provide your contact information. We will check this item's availability and get back to you soon with the price and expected time of delivery.

Sorry, we are not able to process special orders for your country.