First Sunday after Christmas, 1. 1. 2023

Revised Common Lectionary 1-1-2023: First Sunday after Christmas: Holy Family

Matthew 2:13–23

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.”

Happy New Year!

There is something poetic about our last in-person Sunday being Christmas Eve and now The New Year Day! A heartfelt welcome to all those that decided that one of the first things to do is to worship God - either in-person or online. Later today, we will be drawing verses to guide us in the new year.

The text in front of us is definitely NOT the happy-go-lucky text one might expect at the start of a new year. Nope, it is quite a complicated one, even though joy can be found amidst all the strife.

For one, it exemplifies Joseph’s growth - I think he went from a reluctant fiancee to a capable father able to listen to God’s voice through an angel. Twice.

Secondly, it is rather fitting that the Holy Family would become refugee not unlike those from Latin America fleeing cartels - even though Jesus may not have remembered it all, I am sure it shaped him and his whole family. In a way, he got a taste of the past of his ancestors, who too have experienced exile on more than one occasion. It is one thing to be in one place and never leave it and it is another thing entirely, when you are literally FORCED to leave what you know and go to foreign lands, not knowing for how long.

It leads to an encounter with the other, but not on your terms, but theirs. I remember coming to Chicago, still a very fresh immigrant, having lived only about a year in Colorado prior. Colorado has diversity, but where I lived, it wasn’t all that different from my experiences in Europe - even while working at Walgreens, I still got to see many people that looked like me. But as I moved to Chicago and started seminary, it has been a different story. I worked at the local Walgreens on the South Side for a while and let me tell you - there were times, when I was the only White guy in the whole store, other employees and customers included. It was a very interesting and perhaps also a little intimidating situation that has never quite happened to me in my adult life. The encounters were on their terms and not mine and I had to adjust to the culture of it all. It forced me to reflect on my biases in a very practical and immediate way.

I imagine it must have been similar for the stay of the Holy Family in Egypt - suddenly they are the different ones and they need to adapt. I am sure this shaped Jesus’ attitudes towards the other - to meet them with love and understanding and not with suspicion and prejudice.

Thirdly, this passage shows the difference between God’s kingdom and earthly kingdom, this time Herod’s. What Herod did was totally reprehensible and horrible - killing children just because they are under the age of two, an attempt to still get rid of Jesus despite the visitors from foreign lands disobeying him. A heavy handed approach that is not unlike many other rulers, both present and past that go for resolute and brutal solutions. That is the way of the earthly rule and lo and behold, there are still people that will find excuses to absolve such a rule!

On the other hand, God’s reign is not at all like this - also because God is almighty, so no need for God to do such brutal display of power. It is often the insecure that have the need to display their power in such a way! The more autocrats like Putin will be challenged and doubted, the more their actions will become desperate and brutal.

That is the world we live in, massacres and genocides still happen, in the U. S. they are more often than not connected with gun violence and some form of discrimination - antisemitism, racism, xenophobia, and White supremacy are still active and affecting the lives of the marginalized. I hope and pray that this year can be better - I am hopeful, but not very optimistic. I believe that a gradual and planned change can happen in the world with God’s help and guidance. Case in point, as a part of the Kaleidoscope Institute, I will go to the New York state this month and facilitate leaders of two ELCA churches in the anti-discrimination and anti-bias awareness training as at the Institute we believe that a positive mindset change can happen over time and I am happy to contribute to it. The flow of time is guided by God - we may not like everything that happens, but as our gospel text today, there is a thread of love and grace that will ultimately win over hate and power struggles. We may not know what will happen this new year, but I trust that it will be still filled with God’s blessings and light and that we are invited to not only enjoy them, but also help spread them. Let it be so, amen.