Matthew
2:13-15, 19-23
Jesus is born. The wise men visit. The
holy family flees to Egypt. That’s the order of the story, but that’s not the
order in which we hear it. Of course on Christmas we celebrated the birth of
Jesus. But on this second Sunday of the Christmas season we jump to Joseph,
Mary, and Jesus waking in the middle of the night and running for their lives
to the land of Egypt before we’ve celebrated the arrival of the wise men -
which we will do on Epiphany, January 6, three days from now.
Mixing up the order may seem odd, but
there is some sense to it. Because hearing this grim story during the season of
Christmas acknowledges what we already know to be true - that there is darkness
in this world - even during Christmas. The whole reason behind the flight to
Egypt is that Jesus’ life is threatened. King Herod, in his paranoid fury, has
ordered that all children in and around Bethlehem up to the age of two be
killed. Thankfully Joseph is able to save his family from this horror but
countless other families are not spared, not saved. Now there is debate about
whether or not this slaughter of innocents actually happened as recorded. But
that’s really beside the point. Even if this act of terror never occurred there
have been others, too many others, where
innocents have suffered because Herod is real - not only in Jesus’ time, but
throughout all of time. For whenever and wherever life is threatened or
destroyed it is there you will find Herod.
Yet all is not lost. There is hope. A
great hope. For it is into just this sort of world, a world where Herods exist,
that Jesus comes revealing that God is with us and for us. Naming the reality
of Herod before celebrating the visit of the wise men invites us to move from
the darkness of today’s gospel into the light of the coming Epiphany. For
Herod’s darkness is not the final reality. Darkness will never overcome the
light. We, like Joseph, are called to awaken to the light that shines in the
darkness. The divine light that is entrusted to us. The divine life that is
being born to us even today.
So I invite you to look at your life and
ask yourself where is this divine light? Where are you finding Christ’s life in
yours? In what concrete ways is God entrusting Godself to you? Because
Christmas is all about God showing up in the flesh, in the material, in the
particular. Where then is God showing up in incarnate, embodied ways in your
life this Christmas?
Perhaps it’s in a relationship, one with
a spouse or partner with whom you’ve created a life? Maybe it’s in the child or
grandchild God as entrusted to you? Maybe in the holiness of a close friend? Or
in the unwavering devotion of a pet? Maybe in the quiet of a morning with
coffee or in an afternoon walk outside? Perhaps it’s in walks outside? For
some, the routine of work is a place where ordinary life and God’s life
converge. It may even be in a Zoom gathering where you sense Christ’s presence.
Still others I know experience God's life in the midst of serving someone in
need or advocating for justice and peace.
God comes to us in a variety of unique
yet tangible ways. Entrusting us with what is holy and sacred. Saying, “Here,
this is yours. Care for it. Protect it. Nurture it.” And we do this by waking
up to the presence of God in our lives just as Joseph did. For it was a dream
and an awakening that enabled Joseph to see that Mary’s pregnancy wasn’t
something to be shunned but embraced as a gift from God. Then in another dream,
the one we hear of today, Joseph is awakened and empowered to save his family
from harm. And following that there are more awakenings for Joseph that help
him to care for God’s life that is in his midst.
But Joseph’s story is not his alone. It
is our story too. God enters into our lives in unexpected and ordinary ways.
And we, like Joseph, have choices to make. Will we awaken to God who is with us
or will we choose to sleep on through and miss how Christ is born and present?
In a world where Herods do exist, where forces seek to devalue and even destroy
life, will we work to protect and nurture the divine that has been entrusted to
us or will we neglect and ignore it?
Just as God comes to us in concrete,
embodied ways we are to respond in kind. We can, on a daily basis, do things
that care for the sacred in our midst. Each time we cultivate deep, authentic
relationships, the divine light shines. Every time we practice an openness in
prayer, we make a home for Jesus in our lives. Whenever we work for justice and
equity on behalf of others, we grow the divine life in the world. Even though
Herod still exists we have good news of great joy for all people. Because Jesus
was born in Bethlehem and because Jesus is always being born to us we know that
in the end God’s life and God’s light and God’s love will always, always
overcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment