Advent is a time of looking forward, not in the past. Of course we remember that Christ came as a baby, a child, a man to live and die to demonstrate His power over life and death. He came to demonstrate that life in Jesus is about resurrection power. We are people of the resurrection!
And as we begin to think about Advent – the looking towards the coming of Christ again, as He promised, we remember that Jesus was a refugee, with his parents. Here si part of the story…
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men[a] from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose,[b] and we have come to worship him.”
3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:
6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities[c] of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’[d]”
7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”
9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
They gave the family gifts – expensive gifts – and much has been preached about what they represent, but let me give you a different insight. Let’s begin with this truth. Joseph and Mary would NOT have journeyed to Bethlehem alone, as we sometimes seem them pictured in art. They would have been with a crowd, family and friends, as is told in the story, which comes when Jesus is about 12 years old, and they lose him, finding him in the Temple teaching. But they do not return with the family – they make their way to Egypt.
After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”[e]
And those gifts, the ones the Magi brought, would have financed their safe escape.
That’s right, long before Joseph, Mary and Jesus needed that treasure, God was working to provide for them. God is always WAY out in front of us. Always making provision in ways we would never imagine.
God is always ahead of us – and maybe that’s why He tells us not to worry but to trust Him! Makes sense to me – how about you?
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
Hybrid Thoughts 