Scripture: Luke 2:6–7
Theme: Unwelcome and Vulnerable 

For our second Advent reflection, I invite you to imagine the experience of Joseph and Mary arriving in Bethlehem after a long and exhausting journey, only to be met with closed doors. The city was crowded, and no one had space for a young couple on the brink of childbirth. Jesus entered the world not in comfort or safety, but in a borrowed stable—vulnerable, exposed, and unwelcome. 

This moment mirrors the experience of countless people today who are forced from home. Refugees, migrants, and the displaced often arrive in unfamiliar places only to encounter rejection and indifference. Yet, the Savior of the world chose to enter that very reality. His birth reminds us that God draws near to the vulnerable, and His love makes room where the world does not. 

This is why Medical Teams exists—to seek out the forgotten and marginalized, to serve them with compassion, and to restore health, hope, and the dignity they bear as image-bearers of God. 

Prayer:
Lord, open our hearts to those who are unwelcome and vulnerable. May we never turn away someone in need. Help us to see Your face in the displaced and to offer hospitality, compassion, and dignity. Amen. 

Click below to hear Suhaila, our Communications & External Relations Officer in Tanzania, read this week’s scripture passage! 

Yours in faith,  

Joe DiCarlo 

Executive Chaplain & External Engagement Director