"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Thursday, 29 December 2016 with Scripture Matthew 2:13-23

"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Thursday, 29 December 2016 with Scripture Matthew 2:13-23
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Matthew 2:13 After they had gone, an angel of Adonai appeared to Yosef in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave. For Herod is going to look for the child in order to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother, and left during the night for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until Herod died. This happened in order to fulfill what Adonai had said through the prophet,
“Out of Egypt I called my son.”[Matthew 2:15 Hosea 11:1]
16 Meanwhile, when Herod realized that the Magi had tricked him, he was furious and gave orders to kill all the boys in and around Beit-Lechem who were two years old or less, calculating from the time the Magi had told him. 17 In this way were fulfilled the words spoken through the prophet Yirmeyahu,
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and lamenting loudly.
It was Rachel sobbing for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no longer alive.”[Matthew 2:18 Jeremiah 31:14(15)]
19 After Herod’s death, an angel of Adonai appeared in a dream to Yosef in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to Eretz-Yisra’el, for those who wanted to kill the child are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother, and went back to Eretz-Yisra’el. 22 However, when he heard that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Y’hudah, he was afraid to go there. Warned in a dream, he withdrew to the Galil 23 and settled in a town called Natzeret, so that what had been spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he will be called a Natzrati.[Complete Jewish Bible]
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This story is a hard one to hear after the wonder of last Sunday's Christmas story. In a horrific act of fear and violence, Herod slaughters innocent children in order to protect his power and privilege. It would be great to be able to say that humanity has improved since then, but we haven't. All we have to do is read the news to be reminded that in our brokenness and sin, humanity is still seduced by wealth and power.
However, the Christmas story is also a story of hope in the midst of hopelessness and light in the midst of darkness. Jesus came into the world as a tiny, vulnerable baby who was loved and protected by his parents and many others so that one day he could fulfill his purpose: to overcome the power of evil and give us a path to new life. Death and sin are real, but God's love is real too.
Loving savior, shine your light into the darkness. Give hope to the hopeless and peace to those living in the midst of violence. Help us your followers to treat each other with kindness and love and to put away acts of selfishness and judgment, so that we might bear your light for all the world to see. Amen.
Sarah Sumner-Eisenbraun, '07
Associate and Campus Pastor, Salem Lutheran Church and School, Glendale, Calif.
Matthew 2:13 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."[New Revised Standard Version]

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