Warning: this post may strike some readers as political. Though I hope it is not partisan, you may want to skip it.

In a recent sermon on Matthew 2:13-23, I compared the baby Jesus and his parents to Syrian refugees. Like Syrian refugees, the baby Jesus and his parents were:

• Fleeing from a despotic, tyrannical rulers (ISIS and King Herod, respectively).
• Fleeing from a part of the world known to be politically unstable.
• Fleeing from an area known to be filled with religious fanatics.
• Fleeing to an area where they would have been a religious minority.
• Not Christian (Jesus was less than two years old and his parents were devout Jews).
• Not Caucasian, in fact, I can’t help but think they probably look a lot like the people in news photographs of Syrian refugees.

If the Holy Spirit is pricking your conscience and you want to help, the church is collecting school kits for refugees and others like them in dire need (they will go wherever the greatest need is, so we can’t say with absolute certainty where they will end up).