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."
***
It's time.
It's time.
It's the time when the savior of the world is thrown into the world. Not as a warrior king. Not as a mighty colossus of a man. Not as anything other than a human baby. The savior of the world was dropped into a kingdom ruled by man, and his family had to follow the lead of the LORD in order to preserve his life. The faith of his earthly father allowed Jesus to live in the world, to experience the world, to see what the world was going through at this time. This was over 2000 years ago. Sadly, the world hasn't changed that much since the time of Jesus. So, the question becomes what are we doing about it?
Jesus came so that we might live.
Jesus died so that we may be redeemed.
Jesus rose again so that we may know eternal life.
So what are you doing about it? What are you doing with it? What are you called to do?
Advent was the time of longing anticipation, but now it's time for action. Mary and Joseph had to act in order to ensure the life of their son against the powers and principalities of that time. This allowed Jesus to grow and develop into the man who would eventually die and rise again for the very world that he was brought into. We are then charged with carrying that cross out into the world and showing the love and affection that Jesus showed us through his sacrifice--which was started by his earthly parents. It all started with a call from God.
Do you hear it?
Have you experienced it?
Did you take that first step?
Let us pray:
Most gracious heavenly father. We thank-you for the time and effort that you have poured into creating us in your image so that we may be your hands and feet on this earth. We also thank you for the gift of your son, so that we may be redeemed in your sight until the time we when are presented with the eternal gift of life you so graciously provide for us. However, in the mean time we pray that you prepare us, prompt us and push us to do the work that you have called us to do. Through our friends, families and places of business we can be a witness to your love and affection that you have poured out since the beginning of creation. We ask this in the powerful name of your only begotten son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment