What does a Christian response to refugees look like?
基督徒对难民的反应是怎样的?
大卫•理查兹牧师（Rev Dave Richards）
The latest brutal attacks in Idlib remind us of the seemingly never-ending conflict that has torn Syria apart over the last eight years, now widely considered to be the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. Artillery strikes in rebel-held areas have provoked chilling reports from trapped residents, and photos have emerged of bloodied and terrified children caught in the crossfire.
伊德利卜最近发生的野蛮袭击让我们想起了过去8年里看似永无休止的冲突，这使得叙利亚四分五裂，现在被广泛认为是我们这个时代最严重的人道主义危机。在叛军控制的地区进行的炮火袭击引发了对被困居民的令人心寒的报道，照片中还出现了在交火中浑身是血、惊恐万状的儿童。
The UN estimates that there are one million children living in Idlib province, each of them at risk of injury or even death every single day. And the recent threat of demolitions in a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon show that the problems don't end once families have found refuge.
据联合国估计，伊德利卜省有100万儿童，他们每个人每天都濒临受伤甚至死亡的危险。最近黎巴嫩的叙利亚难民营面临被拆除的威胁，这表明，即使难民家庭找到避难所，问题也不会就此结束。
Children are innocent victims of the violence in Syria. An entire generation are growing up knowing nothing but war and destruction. Millions of children and their families – those able to escape the relentless warfare – are now languishing in camps and settlements in neighbouring countries.
儿童是叙利亚暴力的无辜受害者。整整一代人在成长过程中只知道战争和毁灭。数百万儿童及其家人- -那些能够逃离无情战争的儿童- -现在正在邻国的难民营和定居点中饱受煎熬。
And it's not just Syria; half the world's refugees are children. Some have fled crises we are familiar with – like in the Middle East, Myanmar, and Venezuela. Others have lived through stories that have not been as widely told: Uganda alone hosts refugees from more than eight African countries. Imagine spending your entire childhood in a refugee camp: not able to attend school, never having a permanent home, and often in danger of exploitation.
不仅仅是叙利亚；世界上一半的难民是儿童。有些人逃离了我们熟悉的充满危机的地方，比如中东、缅甸和委内瑞拉。其他人则经历了没有被广泛讲述的故事:仅乌干达就收容了来自8个以上非洲国家的难民。想象一下你整个童年都在难民营度过:不能上学，居无定所，经常处于被剥削的危险中。
Childhood should be about fun and games — not worrying about if you'll have somewhere safe to sleep that night. When my children were young, all I wanted to do was protect them and make sure they had the very best start in life. It breaks my heart that for so many around the world, childhood is being lost. And we don't know what the future will hold – mass migration, exacerbated by conflict, is likely only to increase as the climate crisis gets worse.
童年应该是充满乐趣和游戏的，而不是担心晚上是否会有安全的地方睡觉。当我的孩子们还小的时候，我唯一想做的就是保护他们，确保他们拥有人生中最美好的开始。世界上有那么多人失去了童年，这让我很伤心。我们不知道未来还会发生什么——因冲突而加剧的大规模的迁移很可能只会随着气候危机的恶化而增加。
On our own, we cannot make sense of the relentless devastation we see all over the world. It's intractable, complex, and seemingly insurmountable. It can be easier to look away and not think about the suffering families are facing every single day.
仅凭我们自己，我们无法理解在世界各地看到的无情破坏。这是很难对付的、复杂的，而且似乎是无法克服的。把目光移开，不去想那些每天都面临苦难的家庭，可能会更容易些。
So what should be the Christian response? Many countries across the Middle East and Africa have welcomed millions of refugees, living out Jesus' call for us to be good neighbours and show hospitality to those who need our help. The response in Europe, meanwhile, has been very different:characterised by barbed wire, armed guards, and a culture of hostility. As Christians, we need to do more.
那么对此，基督徒应该作何反应呢?中东和非洲的许多国家已接纳了数以百万计的难民，践行了耶稣对我们成为好邻舍的呼召，热情接待那些需要我们帮助的人。而与此同时，欧洲的反应却截然不同:以带刺的铁丝网、武装警卫和敌对文化为特征。作为基督徒，我们需要做得更多。
When we decide to follow Jesus, we commit to a different response – a different way of witnessing, a reason to keep hope alive, and a call to keep loving. Throughout the Bible we see that God's heart of compassion is with the poor and the outcast.
当我们决定跟随耶稣时，我们会做出不同的回应——不同的见证方式，使希望永驻的理由，以及持续爱神爱人的呼召。透过圣经，我们看到神怜悯的心与穷人和被遗弃的人同在。
We may find it challenging but we cannot stay silent on this issue. We must respond to God's call to care for the vulnerable.
我们可能会发现这极富挑战性，但我们决不能在这个问题上保持沉默。我们必须回应神对我们关心弱势群体的呼召。
"I tell you the truth, when you did it one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it for me." (Matthew 25:40).
“我实在告诉你们，这些事你们既作在我这弟兄中一个最小的身上，就是作在我身上了。”(马太福音25:40)。
We are compelled by God's love to be his hands and his feet in this world. We can make a difference in standing with the world's most vulnerable children, as a sign of God's unconditional love.
我们被神的爱所驱使，要在这个世界上作祂的手和脚。我们可以与世界上最弱势的孩子们站在一起，作为上帝无条件的爱的象征，影响世界。
Because we serve the God of unimaginable possibilities, we can't give up. By keeping up hope and continuing to reach out in love to refugees, we live into the truth that "What is impossible with men is possible with God". (Luke 18:27).
因为我们所侍奉的神没有难成的事，所以我们不能放弃。通过保持希望，继续向难民伸出爱心之手，我们活在“在人所不能的事，在神却能”的真理中(路加福音18:27)。
As a trustee of aid agency World Vision UK and a pastor, I believe that Christians can stand in the gap, by demonstrating the love and compassion of Christ, to help millions of child refugees fleeing violence all over the world.
作为英国援助机构世界宣明会的理事和牧师，我相信基督徒可以通过展示基督的爱和怜悯，首当其冲，来帮助世界各地逃离暴力的数百万儿童难民。
My prayer on this day, 20 June, as we recognise World Refugee Day, is that you will join World Vision and the Church to work together with children and their communities to transform the lives of the world's most vulnerable children.
值此6月20日世界难民日之际，我的祷告是：你将加入世界宣明会和教会，与儿童及其社区一起共同努力，改变世界上最弱势的儿童的生活。
Rev Dave Richards, Rector of St Pauls and St George's Church in Edinburgh, and Trustee of World Vision UK
大卫•理查兹牧师（Rev Dave Richards），爱丁堡圣保罗和圣乔治教堂（St Pauls and St George's Church in Edinburgh）的教区牧师，英国世界宣明会理事
翻译：Jenny 排版：Rebecca Wei 校对：Snow
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