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13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." 14 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son." 16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: 18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more." 19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20 "Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead." 21 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 23 There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean." (Matthew 2:13-23 NRSV)
A very Merry Christmas to you and yours, dear Friend! I will take a few days off for this holiday season and today's will serve as the Christmas edition for 2019. This will be the last ConCafe for the decade!
The first Christmas was no different from some Christmases of today; you take the good with the bad. Yes, there are some homes where the gathering of family is not always a good thing; some family members will chose to leave in the middle of the night rather than ride out the holy days in conflict. Ouch. Sometimes it is better for those things to happen. Please know there is counseling available if you are troubled by this; a call to your pastor(s) may help
Now to our story: At some point early in Jesus' life, God orders Joseph to flee to Egypt. God knew that Herod was about to search for the child Jesus and kill all male children. In obedience to God, Joseph took Mary and Jesus across several country's borders until finally crossing into the nation of Egypt, where the family lived until the Lord told Joseph that it was now safe for the Holy Family to return back to Israel, specially to the town of Nazareth. Some scholars believe the family stayed in Egypt for two years. That my friends may have seemed like an eternity to a family whose roots and families were somewhere miles away. Did Joseph and Mary speak Egyptian? Did they find work easily? Were they welcomed with love and acceptance? Or, were they looked at with suspicion and fear? DId they hear "Why don't you go back to where you came from? Or, "We thank God you're here and among us! Please tell us how we can help you all?"
Joseph trusted God and knew that an early return home would mean his son's death, and possibly his own death and that of Mary. What sort of option is that? The question is not what would Jesus do, it's what would YOU do for the good of your child and wife?
Some would question why God would have chosen to make His Son run rather than stay and fight? Could not God send a million angels to fight Herod's armies? I think yes, but it would have defeated the purpose of God truly and completely identifying with us. Jesus came in human form. He ran fevers, He coughed and had the sniffles. He cut His fingers while playing; Jesus did all things that come with being a boy. No, He didn't sin; we know that, but He did know the human condition. And yes, He did die, at the right time, for you and me.
This Christmas, let's trust God and be like God, loving and giving. Let's even be like the Egyptian neighbors who welcomed and cared for God's Son and His earthly family.
Merry Christmas!
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for this important story. It saddens us that sometimes leaders of nations make it necessary for its citizens to flee for their lives. And sadder that some in nations that can welcome them, don't. Grant us Your love in abundance so that it easily and freely flows from our hearts to others. Thank You for Jesus! May His birth be our greatest gift of all time! In HIS name we pray, amen!
**Prayer Request: Late Sunday evening we got word that the maternal grandfather of our son-in-law, Jesse Muñoz, died in Corpus Christi. Please keep the Muñoz family in your prayers during this difficult time.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a true peacemaker in someone's life this holiday season!
Receive my blessings of love and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
