– Today’s Community Scripture – 1/3/2025

Later, when Herod died, God’s angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt: “Up, take the child and his mother and return to Israel. All those out to murder the child are dead.”
21–23  Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother, and re-entered Israel. When he heard, though, that Archelaus had succeeded his father, Herod, as king in Judea, he was afraid to go there. But then Joseph was directed in a dream to go to the hills of Galilee. On arrival, he settled in the village of Nazareth. This move was a fulfillment of the prophetic words, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

                             Matthew 2:19–23 (MSG)

– Reflection:

                   Scholars From The East

We’ve been making our way through Matthew 2, which describes the responses of worldly powers to the birth of Jesus. We’ve learned of foreign wise ones who came to worship the newborn king. We’ve learned of the present king’s fear upon hearing of this new king, and how that fear drove him to slaughter innocent children in an effort to eliminate the threat to his throne. Matthew is unflinching in facing the painful realities of his world. We’ve been reading these texts amid the painful realities of our world. Today, there is continued weeping in Bethlehem and all the Palestinian territories as innocent children are killed by bombs intended for terrorists. In New Orleans, innocent lives were taken by a terrorist driving a truck through crowds celebrating the new year. Fear and destruction and death too often seem to reign in our world.

– Where do we go from here?

Suppose that was happening in the real world 2,000 years ago. Is it so hard to believe it could still be happening even now: in an affordable home that changes the trajectory of a family living in poverty, or in a warm meal and a safe place to spend the night through a Room at the Inn, in a moment of hope found in a pastor’s office when a person realizes that while they can’t ever go back to life as it was, they can go forward into life as it can become? Can we believe that as God worked then, God is working now to redeem this wounded world and maybe even us?

Our Prayer for Today

Father, this world too often fills our hearts with fear. God, fill us with faith to trust in your vision for this world and for our lives. Meet us in our dreams to save us from our fears and lead us into your tomorrow. Amen.