Daily Scripture: 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)]
Reflection Questions:
Joseph did a lot more than stand by the manger while the shepherds worshiped the baby. Herod killed some of his own sons who were potential rivals for his throne. He certainly didn’t flinch from murdering all boys age 2 and under in Bethlehem to try to wipe out the promised Messiah. But Matthew said God worked through Joseph to keep Mary and baby Jesus safe from Herod’s murderous paranoia.- In Jesus' day, the population of Alexandria, Egypt was probably about one-third Jewish. There were also other Jewish communities in Egypt. This made Egypt a safer refuge for Joseph, Mary and Jesus than it would be in today’s conditions. What people or places have given you safety or comfort in times of trouble in your life? Are you open to letting God guide you in helping hurting or endangered people today to find places of safety?
Lord Jesus, you learned early that this broken world is often a dangerous place. Help me to be one of your instruments to work, wherever and however I can, to protect those of your children who find themselves in danger. Amen.
Family Activity:
The angel joyfully told the shepherds that Jesus was born! The shepherds joyfully told others about the birth of Jesus. How can you joyfully tell others about the birthday of Jesus? First create a list of people with whom you want to share the good news of Jesus. Consider neighbors, community workers, store clerks, family, and friends. Next, discuss fun and creative ways you could share the joyful news of Jesus’ birth and His love. You might bake treats, design cards, create a simple craft, or write a simple note. Deliver your items to people. Let each person know you are praying for them during this Christmas season and throughout the year. Share the joy of Jesus with everyone!
---------------------Insights from Liz Gyori
Liz Gyori serves as the Group Life Training Program Director at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection.What would you do to save the life of a child you love? A helpless child, who depends on you for care and protection? If that child’s life was threatened by a murderous tyrant, by a murderous approaching army, would you stay in your home and hope for the best?
No, you would not. You’d gather whatever items you could carry and you’d leave that place as quickly as possible, all the while fervently praying for safe passage. You would run on foot, you would escape in a car, you would board a rickety boat, you would hand your life savings to a “coyote”–whatever it took to get that child to safety, you would do it. And when you arrived in a safe land, you would fling yourself at the feet of strangers, and you would pray that they would show you mercy and kindness. You might not do all this to save your own life, but you would do all this, and more, for the life of that trusting, innocent child.
We don’t know the details of how Joseph fled with his family, but Matthew tells us that they left in the night. With this urgency, it’s likely they weren’t able to bring much with them. We don’t have specifics about their time in Egypt. Because there were Jewish communities there, perhaps they found shelter and security with relatives or friends. Or perhaps they arrived, hungry, disheveled, and terrified, without a place to stay, needing to rely on the kindness of strangers until Joseph found work. Either way, what we do know is that Joseph acted to save a little boy, entrusted to his care, from Herod’s slaughter.
Borders were porous in Jesus’ time, and an adult Jesus specifically addresses the concept of welcoming the stranger in Matthew 25:35: “I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” The Gospel of Matthew was originally written in Greek, and the Greek word for “stranger,” xenos, can also mean “foreigner” or “immigrant.” Jesus understood, from experience, what it was like to be that very person.
Which brings us back to where we started. We know what we would do to save the life of a child we love. We would do anything and everything. Now we need to ask ourselves, what will we do to save the life a “stranger’s” child? Will we do–anything?
To learn more about the global refugee crisis, how you might help, and how the United Methodist church and other organizations are welcoming the stranger, click here.
---------------------
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
No, you would not. You’d gather whatever items you could carry and you’d leave that place as quickly as possible, all the while fervently praying for safe passage. You would run on foot, you would escape in a car, you would board a rickety boat, you would hand your life savings to a “coyote”–whatever it took to get that child to safety, you would do it. And when you arrived in a safe land, you would fling yourself at the feet of strangers, and you would pray that they would show you mercy and kindness. You might not do all this to save your own life, but you would do all this, and more, for the life of that trusting, innocent child.
We don’t know the details of how Joseph fled with his family, but Matthew tells us that they left in the night. With this urgency, it’s likely they weren’t able to bring much with them. We don’t have specifics about their time in Egypt. Because there were Jewish communities there, perhaps they found shelter and security with relatives or friends. Or perhaps they arrived, hungry, disheveled, and terrified, without a place to stay, needing to rely on the kindness of strangers until Joseph found work. Either way, what we do know is that Joseph acted to save a little boy, entrusted to his care, from Herod’s slaughter.
Borders were porous in Jesus’ time, and an adult Jesus specifically addresses the concept of welcoming the stranger in Matthew 25:35: “I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” The Gospel of Matthew was originally written in Greek, and the Greek word for “stranger,” xenos, can also mean “foreigner” or “immigrant.” Jesus understood, from experience, what it was like to be that very person.
Which brings us back to where we started. We know what we would do to save the life of a child we love. We would do anything and everything. Now we need to ask ourselves, what will we do to save the life a “stranger’s” child? Will we do–anything?
To learn more about the global refugee crisis, how you might help, and how the United Methodist church and other organizations are welcoming the stranger, click here.
---------------------
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120
---------------------
---------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment