Old Testament
Zechariah 7:9-10
9 “Thus has the LORD of Armies spoken, saying, ‘Execute true judgement, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother.
10 Don’t oppress the widow, the fatherless, the foreigner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart.’
New Testament
Hebrews 13:1-3
1 Let brotherly love continue.
2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.
3 Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you are also in the body.
Zechariah speaks to a people tempted to religious busyness without neighbourly truth: render true judgements; show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor; do not devise evil in your hearts. It is as though God says: do not tell me you are worshipping if you are willing to crush the vulnerable.
Hebrews gives a simple instruction with deep roots: let brotherly love continue, and do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers. Some, without knowing it, have entertained angels. The point is not to chase marvels. It is to practise welcome as a holy habit.
Refugee care is often slow and practical: friendship, translation, accompaniment, school uniforms, bus passes, paperwork, meals, advocacy, a warm room and a warm face. It is also the discipline of not turning suffering into a spectacle. It is a holiness with muddy shoes.
Lord, make your Church hospitable in a way that lasts. Teach us kindness without patronising and truth without coldness. Give us courage to resist oppression and to speak for those with little voice. And make our congregations places where strangers become friends and friends become kin, because Christ has welcomed us first.