December 1998 Issue

In the gospel lection for the first Sunday after Christmas, we read about Joseph and a dream. He is warned in that dream "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." (Mt 2:20) Joseph's obedience to God's command is one of the highlights of the story. With the beginning of the new year, it would be good to focus on our commitments. Sorting through the various commitments we make and reviewing them would be a good exercise. Are we over-extended with commitments that do not serve God or us well?

The overriding concern is, of course, Herod. We know that Herod is still with us. With ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, a suicide attack on a bus in Israel, and other ways in which violence permeates our world, we are reminded daily that Herod still does evil work. Evil is not something from which we can escape, nor is it something the church can ignore. Face to face with the world, the church will always be in conflict with the world when it takes on matters of justice and of mercy. There is no written record of Herod's slaughter; however, it was entirely consistent with his reign. It does serve Matthew's purposes and Matthew's reliance on Old Testament themes and prophecies as reflected in Phillip Gladden's exegesis. Jesus' being called out of Egypt and being compared with Moses and his life are rather obvious. For those who wish to preach upon the gospel text as Matthew recorded it, the events of the life of Jesus relating to what Matthew considered prophecy of that life in the Old Testament, this certainly serves as a way to do that. With the passing of Christmas Day people are returning to normal routines. There is for some that post-Christmas letdown. "Back into the real world again" people are looking for a way in which to live lives of faith in a world that is inhabited by the Herods. There are not many who have the chance to flee to Egypt; however, our faith does provide resources for living in the world.

One of the prevalent themes is found in verses 19-22. When Joseph is able to return to the land of Israel with the child and his mother, he was not able to go to Bethlehem, but had to go to Galilee where many gentiles lived. Jesus is the cause for Joseph and Mary to live lives as refugees. The early church understood this because of their faith in Jesus as the Messiah. They understood what it meant to face life under persecution or to be displaced. Certainly it is a way in which Matthew uses the stories of Jesus' life to speak to the church of his day. We don't serve churches in which the members are ostracized or persecuted, perhaps because there has been a timidity about the radical nature of this Jesus and his message. In the world, however, there are those who have been displaced from their homes or have suffered persecution because of their faith.

Preaching in terms of the activity of God could be very fitting on this day. God is the chief actor in this story. On the last Sunday of the year, it is helpful for people to understand the nature of God's providence. God seeks us, saves us and is present with us. This story is a reminder that God's prevenient grace is calling us into a relationship with God. The future and the new year are already inhabited by God's grace. In the coming year God is already there to meet us. There need not be anything to fear.

Church attendance may be sparse this day. Those who come, come anxiously awaiting another word about God's saving activity in history. With the existence of the Herods of the world, how will we address the evil in the world that we see and hear about? How is God seeking to encompass that evil with the goodness of God's saving activity as we know it in the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus the Christ? To talk about that all-encompassing grace and love, and how it not only outwits but is victorious over that evil, would be a good word for a new year.

Michael McKee