Welcoming the Foreigner at Christmas
Northern Ireland would be a dull and dismal place without the wide range of cultures which now meet within its borders. People from Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world, with a whole range of different backgrounds, customs and ideas. It makes for a much more vibrant society.
Sadly, however, many people who have lived here all their lives seem to resent their coming. Belfast has, perhaps inappropriately, been dubbed ‘the racist capital of Europe'. We hear, week by week, especially on the radio, comments which remind us that our sectarianism can so easily be morphed into racism. After all, both have the same theme: ‘our group is better than yours!'
There are some pointers in the Christmas story which inform our thinking in this area:
First, the fact that there was no room at the inn. There might have been room if they had known more about the potential guest. Some of us, too, have not taken the time to notice and experience the love and generosity in so many of our new neighbours. We might discover, as the Bible says, that we are ‘entertaining angels unawares'.
Secondly, King Herod was prepared to go to the most extreme ends to remove the threat of the baby Jesus from his midst. It is vitally important that we recognize the fear that so many of us have of people who seem to be different. They might, we reckon, take our jobs, even though there is almost full employment; or they might threaten out culture or comfort.
Thirdly, it was foreigners, in the form of the wise men, who brought Jesus the most discerning and reverent of gifts, kneeling down before him. The wise men are a symbol of the fact that people from all over the world are welcome at Bethlehem. And if different nations are welcome there then they should be welcomed here too, especially by followers of the Christ child.
This Christmas, say ‘Happy Christmas' to a newcomer, decide to speak kindly of others, and determine to make Northern Ireland a place which will be blessed by their presence. There is still room in the inn!