The use of lighting is important in the series. The first three episodes depicted light as the glimmer of hope. The light coming through the windows of the addict's church building in the very first scene, the lamps of the Clark household on the first night, the flicker of life in the eyes of the living. Wherever the source of light emanates from, there is life, and there is still hope.

The blue glaze over the eyes of the walkers no longer projects the glow of life within. As the "walkers" depict the pretense of life, so the world, the city, the neighborhood has become the pretense of civilization. Who will continue pretending? 

[SPOILERS]
Now, the electricity is fading, and the flashes of light seen from Chris's rooftop perch are not survivors seeking help, but muzzle flashes of warning. Everything has truly changed.  The survivors, I predict, will be the ones who stop pretending that everything's still normal. Who will make the change before they also "turn"?

Side note: We are spellbound by the series Fear the Walking Dead but oblivious to the plight of hundreds of thousands of refugees pouring out of Syria into an overwhelmed European community. The irony is not lost here. When will Americans stop pretending it's okay as long as it's someone else's problem? That, in fact, it's everyone's problem in a globally connected world.

The European Union is anything but united in how to respond to the huge influx of refugees. Four of the 28 member countries (vingt huit is French for 28) refused to join an accord to find a place within their borders for 120,000 refugees. This only begins to scratch the surface of the total number estimated at more than 450,000 arriving by sea into southern Europe since January. See this data visualized at UNHCR.org. Not all countries are not preferred destinations--Germany at the top, and France, well, not so much. 

The church it seems is providing relief--water bottles and food packets at border crossings. According to Dave and Betsy Scott, Nazarene missionaries in Croatia, on their Facebook page "Scotts on a Mission":

But, if you're one of those Christians--no, the other kind--good thing you only have the blood moon to be worried about. 

Fun fact: If you were an astronaut on the moon during a total lunar eclipse, you'd be standing in the darkened shadow of the Earth. You would see a fiery ring around the globe of all of the Earth's sunrises and sunsets happening at the same time. Cool. Source: Space.com.

This year alone over 477,000 refugees have already made the arduous journey from the eastern edge of the Mediterranean into southern Europe. Estimates as high as four million refugees have poured into neighboring countries due to ongoing violence and bloodshed in Syria and the Middle East over the last decade. To add to the crisis, six thousand refugees are entering daily into Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany, and Italy. 

Some people think the church is actively involved in the Syrian refugee crisis. In fact, the church joins European governmental agencies in scrambling to make sense of the situation.  In spite of the consternation and confusion, there are some things happening in the face of the "largest refugee crisis in modern Europe since WW2":

• UNHCR's lead story on the "management mayhem" of this "increasingly chaotic and unpredictable" refugee crisis which is overwhelming an ill-prepared European system. "UNHCR outlines proposals to manage refugee and migration crisis in Europe ahead of EU Summit." Sept 22, 2015
• Letter from the Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe (WCC) Sept 9, 2015. It's basically a solicitation for stories and the need for an ecumenical response.
• European Methodist Council met this week, the featured project is for new church development in Albania, but nothing about refugees. They did reflect theologically and draft a pastoral letter. They, I'm sure, have been planning logistically for an active response (I hope).
• Further statements from the WCC leaders with more links after the article. Sept 16, 2015 
• Samaritan's Purse is partnering with Hungarian Baptist Fund to deliver 800 food parcels. And, they definitely have a dude there with a camera, though. The Hungarian Baptist Fund does not have anything related to the crisis at their website. In fairness, it looks like these organizations are trying to respond in the short-term while trying to figure out the long term demands. You can donate to the response by Samaritan's Purse by clicking the photo above.
• Statement on the European refugee crisis from the Board of General Superintendents dated Sept 17, 2015. It's says something like pray and donate until we figure out what to do. There are specific ways to donate to the NCM Refugee and Immigrant Support Fund. There are some local stories like this post from Teanna Sunberg.
• Thomas Kemper, top executive for UMC Global Missions offers the most comprehensive statement on the refugee crisis from basic facts, biblical responsibility, specific stories on what has been done, and ways in which local churches can act today, including becoming a sponsor for resettled refugees while acknowledging the risks and responsibilities involved. Includes many links to helpful information especially for Methodists.
• Christian Missionary Alliance folks, well, they're on it. Updates on what they've been doing already and more recent updates from Syria.

Overall, it seems like everyone is overwhelmed, no one is prepared, and the crisis is just beginning.

Previous post:

This is an opportunity wasted unless it isn't.

"You have been a refuge for the poor,
    a refuge for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the storm
    and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless
    is like a storm driving against a wall." Isaiah 25:4

Thanks to James Copple for pointing me to this video.