Loving God, your compassion for your children is beyond our comprehension, as is your love for all humanity.  Help us to see your grace even in the midst of tragedy, and to place our trust in you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Matthew is the only one of the four gospels that tells about the wise men coming to worship Jesus, the escape to Egypt and Herod’s murderous rampage in and around Bethlehem.  It is also said that the gospel of Matthew was written with a Jewish audience in mind.  Because of this, Matthew begins with a genealogy that places Jesus firmly within the covenants that were made with Abraham and with David.  At the same time, you may have noticed today that Matthew consistently refers to the prophets and to how the prophecies are being fulfilled through Jesus.

    As horrific as we might find this whole story about Herod murdering all of the children, a Jewish person listening to this story would have heard echoes of the birth of Moses.  Do you remember when Moses was born, and when the Pharaoh in Egypt had ordered all of the baby Israelite boys to be put to death?  Moses, too, was saved from this fate – in his case after being adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter.

    And so, because of this connection, the people who first heard this gospel would have gotten the sense that Jesus might be something like Moses: saving his people; perhaps giving a new covenant and a new law; and perhaps even fulfilling the prophecy recorded in Deuteronomy, where Moses says:

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet (Deut. 18:15).

    Historically speaking, we know that King Herod was entirely capable of such murderous rampages.  I remember seeing a quote from a historian saying that he would much rather be Herod’s dog than a member of his family (Josephus?).  This is because Herod was known for murdering anybody whom he perceived as a threat – whether relatives of his or not.  History also tells us that Herod’s son Archelaus was not much better, and was also known for slaughtering large numbers of people.

    Unfortunately, people like this have continued to come to power, and we continue to hear about similar events – whether in a school in Pakistan, or in North America, or in other places around the world.  It is not just Rachel who weeps for her children, but many mothers and fathers all around the world.  The results of human sinfulness continue to be felt and seen, as well as the results of when people listen only to their own direction, rather than to God’s.

    My suspicion is that many people would like to tell God to just step right in there and zap the bad guys before they can do any damage.  However, God chose a different path, allowing people to continue to make their choices while he came in humility and vulnerability and love through Jesus.  In doing so, God put the life of his Son into human hands, relying on Mary and Joseph and others to keep Jesus safe.

    If Joseph hadn’t paid any heed to the angels in his dreams, Jesus would not even have made it through his childhood.  If the wise men had not come, bringing gifts, Mary and Joseph would not have been able to afford to go and live in Egypt for a while.  And, if those in Egypt had not received Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus as refugees, they would have had nowhere to go except back where they had come from.  One has to wonder if today the border would be closed to Mary and Joseph and others like them!

    It is one of the hints of good news in this gospel that Mary and Joseph actually found refuge in the land of an enemy.  Obviously, they were not perceived as enemies, but as people from another land who needed a safe refuge for their child.  Of course, the tragedy today is not only that tyrants continue to come to power but that millions are forced to flee their homelands every year.  It was only this week that we heard about large ships filled with Syrian refugees hoping to find a place of refuge somewhere along the Mediterranean Sea.  These, and others, are people who cannot go home, but who can’t find a home in other countries either.

    God bless those who continue to work with and to support refugees.  God bless those who try to cut through all of the government red tape in order to give refuge to those in need.  It is hard to imagine living in refugee camps for years hoping to be reunited with family and to finally have a place to call home.  I also understand that it is often an exercise in frustration these days for those who try to help them.

    In spite of the difficulties, however, God continues to work through God’s people for the protection and the well-being of others.  In the case of today’s gospel, God had worked through the wise men just before what we heard today, who came to worship the Christ child and who brought their gifts.  The wise men also listened to the warning that was given to them in a dream not to go back to Herod, which gave enough time for Mary and Joseph to escape.

    God worked through Joseph in order to keep Jesus safe, as Joseph paid attention to his dreams and to the angels who spoke to him in this manner.  And God worked through the people in Egypt who welcomed Mary and Joseph and who allowed them to stay as long as they needed to.  Occasionally, it seems, angels are called in to attend to the well-being of God’s people.  However, much of the time, God works through people just like you and me.

    The challenge, of course, for us, is to tune into what God might have in mind for us.  In many cases, this means simply paying attention to those things that God puts right in front of us where we are well able to be of assistance and to be the presence of Christ for others.  At other times, maybe God’s messages come to us through the Scriptures, or through other people, or even through our dreams.  And sometimes little nudges come to us during prayer time, or even just in a quiet moment.

    An example might be where another person suddenly comes to mind with the thought that maybe it would be a good idea to check on them right now.  Or, a person comes to mind and you know right away to lift them up in prayer.  It is a process to learn how to listen to the Holy Spirit, but once we tune in we discover that God’s timing is impeccable!

    And so, pay attention to what God puts in front of you.  Be aware that God might choose to work through you for the protection and the well-being of another.  And at the same time, notice the help that God sends to you when you are in need.  It is true that it doesn’t happen for everybody all the time.  However, those who make God their refuge will not be put to shame.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Christmas 2 (NL 1)                                Matthew 2:13-23
January 4, 2015
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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