Scripture: Matthew 2:19-20
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly 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 seeking the child’s life are dead.”
Thought for the Day: The scriptures seem to like the underdog, the improbable hero. And in the case of Matthew’s Gospel, the threatened child who came out of poverty and whose family became refugees in a foreign land would be the one to rise. Yet in this case, the rise was not the rise to a traditional understanding of power and glory. The scriptures continue to provide surprises that even the best Hollywood writers and movie producers could not have dreamed up. Power and glory mean very different things than what is found in a theatrical blockbuster. This is why the church needs to be somewhat protective of its story, for the Jesus-story does not need an update that dismisses the simple, beautiful and unorthodox message of radical love. Let us appreciate the story for what it is.
Prayer: For all the wonderful and surprising ways you bring your love to us, O Lord of Life, may we come to appreciate both the message and the means by which that message arrives. Amen.
