June 20 is World Refugee Day and Father’s Day. As we consider our fathers, let us be grateful that America welcomed them and their fathers and their fathers’ fathers:

Gracious God, as you brought the Israelites out of bondage through the Wilderness and into freedom, bring refugees out of persecution to safety. As you protected your children in the desert, protect those who languish for years in refugee camps.

May we put an end to warfare and tyranny so people may return to their homes without fear of violence. Help us to be a welcoming people for those who cannot go home. Help us to build communities of hope where strangers become neighbors and friends, and may we treat all as our brothers and sisters, your children. Amen.