Hello my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends, all around the world.
Well the big day is here, today is New Year’s Eve! No matter where you live on our planet, January 1st is now only a few hours away. I wonder what that moment will mean for you as you close the book on the story of your life titled ‘2021’, and open your new book titled ‘my story 2022’? At this moment, we all have a few more moments to live our final entries in our ’21 book. What will be the closing activities, words, and choices of your year ’21? At this moment nothing is written in that new ’22 book, but one year from now you’ll be closing that book, and what will you have written as your life story for the year 2022? Let’s write the story of our lives carefully my friends!!
Yesterday I left you in Egypt about the year 5bc. We had gone there during the night, fleeing Bethlehem with Joseph, Mary and infant Jesus. An angel had warned Joseph to get up quickly and escape TO Egypt for their lives were in danger. Joseph had no idea what danger, for they were beginning to be settled in Bethlehem. Has a word from God ever come to you at a time which seemed to you very inconvenient?
But Joseph had learned to follow angelic instructions quickly and fully, so in short order he and Mary were packed, and with little Jesus in tow, they were headed into the dark night, following a road they’d never travelled… south to Egypt, a place they’d only heard about in ancient Hebrew stories. Have you ever done that? Have you ever followed God’s lead to a new place? I wonder if as they walked along in the dark night, Joseph might have said something like this to Mary, “How ironic is this… here we are fleeing TO Egypt in the night, and our ancestors fled FROM Egypt in the night, so many years ago…and for both them and for us, we’re doing it at God’s direction. I wonder what our Egypt experience will be?”
So what was it like for them, living as refugees in Egypt? Actually, we know virtually nothing about the time Joseph, Mary and Jesus spent in Egypt! We don’t know where they lived or what work, if any, Joseph found to provide for his family. We don’t know how they were treated as Hebrew’s living in Egypt, nor if they had to sell those Magi gifts in order to survive? We don’t even know exactly how long they were in Egypt. What we do know is this: the bloodshed in Bethlehem was horrific, as paranoid Herod tried to be sure whoever this ‘newborn king of the Jews’ was, which the Magi had spoken of, he would not live to see another day! In Egypt, after a while, several months at least, Joseph had another angelic visitation!
Matthew tells us: “After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead. So Joseph got up, took Jesus and Mary and went to the land of Israel.” (Matt. 2:19-21) Now if you are a person who has lived your whole life in one place, or moved only rarely, and then with lots of advance notice, you probably have little understanding of the emotions this family was experiencing. Moving is one of the most traumatic experiences anyone can endure… leaving behind the familiar and going to a new place where everything is unfamiliar! Leaving behind friends or family and moving to a place where you feel like a stranger. For Joseph and Mary, each of their moves thus far had been traumatic, and this one was no exception.
This move would at least bring them back to their homeland Israel, with familiar language and foods and customs, and their precious religion. In Egypt they had been alien refugees. Oh it’s not difficult for me to imagine Mary’s excitement as she packed, calling young Jesus to come help her. He was probably at least two years old by now, for King Herod died in 4bc and Jesus was likely born in 6bc. And finally they headed north, perhaps at least for a short while, following the same road their ancient ancestors had followed as they fled from their slavery with Moses so many centuries before!
Somewhere along their journey Joseph heard very disturbing news. Archelaus, Herod the Great’s son, had assumed authority in Judea in place of his father, and the word was out that Archelaus was behaving as irrationally as his father. Matthew writes: “Joseph was afraid to go to Judea. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee and lived in a town called Nazareth…” (Matt.2:22,23) Now my friends ponder this for a moment, with me. Nazareth was Mary’s hometown. Nazareth was where Gabriel had come to Mary with the incredible news that she would be pregnant while still a virgin! No matter how she or Joseph would try to explain Mary’s child, no rational person in Nazareth would accept what Gabriel had told her, and the conception Mary had experienced by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. No one would believe her little son Jesus was in fact the Son of God, Immanuel!
So of all the places they could have chosen to live, it seems to me, Nazareth might be the most difficult. Yet that is where both Matthew & Luke tell us they arrived on their journey back from Egypt. Luke writes: “And the child grew and became strong; He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.” (Luke 2:40) “And Jesus went to Nazareth with them (Joseph & Mary) and was obedient to them. But Mary treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:51,52) I wonder what you hear in that description of those years, my friends? Do you see a young family seeking to live in God honoring ways? Do you see effective parenting as Jesus grows in wisdom and stature, and that the people of Nazareth accept and even favor young Jesus?
So on this New Year’s Eve, let’s spend some time reflecting on our extended families and the young generation all around us. How does what you see in your town, your country, compare to this description of young Jesus growing up in “…wisdom, stature and in favor with God and men.”? As we prepare to welcome a new year, what changes need to happen if we will raise up the next generation in this way? How do we find the strength to face the challenges which most certainly will come our way in 2022?
I’ve found a great Casting Crown’s song of reflection to help us close out 2021, and welcome the year 2022 with renewed hope and purpose. Thank you my friends, for experiencing Jesus with me in these daily reflections… I really look forward to the year 2022 with you!
Today’s Scripture is Matthew 2:19-23.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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