Christmas sermon of pastor T. J. de Ruiter, The
Netherlands.
A special sermon for all who are refugees
“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child.” Matthew 2:13 (RSV)
Please read Matthew 2:1-18.
Introduction
The story of Christmas, a baby born in a stable and shepherds on the field watching in the night with their sheep, seems to be very romantic. But the end of the beginning of the very first part of the life of Christ could be called tragic: Joseph and Mary had to flee with the baby Jesus for there were plans to kill Him.
The threat
In short, this is what happened: The wise men from the East had made their visit and had left. God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod, for he had the intention to kill Jesus as he saw in him a new threat to his position on the throne. This king is known in history as a very suspicious and cruel king. He killed everyone, which he suspected to be a danger to his kingship. He had even killed three of his own sons.
When he realised that the wise men had misled him he became very angry and commanded all boy childs of maximum two years to be killed in Bethlehem.
The divine warning and the hasty flight
God was however watching over the young family and sent an angel, who appeared to Joseph in a nightly dream, to warn him and telling him to flee to Egypt.
Joseph reacted promptly for that same night he took the mother and her child and started with the journey. That was not an easy decision to take for there were many difficulties. There stood no taxi ready or train. Some traditional stories tell us that there was a donkey on which Mary could travel, but even this detail is not supported in the Gospels. There were no preparations for the journey as the fight was sudden, in the night. Believe me, the child must also have felt very uneasy and even suffered because the unconfortable conditiions; it must all have been very primitive.
Finally they reached Egypt and had to find a place where they could stay as refugees in a country that had never been especially favourable to Israël. The plain fact of history is that Jesus was a political refugee. The family had to stay there till God would tell Joseph that they could return to Israël. After this cruel king Herod died they travelled back to their country.
Just think a moment of this tragic end of the very first years in the life of Jesus, Gods Son. Jesus shared our human life, experienced all kinds of difficulties, even that of being in a strange country as a refugee.
To the refugees in our days
There are many people fleeing in these days, even this Christmas of 2004. Many are fleeing because of religious persecution, others because of tribal or political reason. I am thinking of the thousands of refugees in Darfur, the Congo and other countries in Africa, but also of them in Asian countries. Our Dutch government struggles with the refugees in our country and does not hesitate to take hard measures to cope with the problem, sometimes to the displeasure of even a great number of Dutch people. Would this part of the Christmas story not inspire us to think deeply about our attitude to those that fled from home for serious reasons, for real danger?
I also think of people, mostly women, sometimes with their small children, which had to flee out of their home, because their husbands or friends maltreated them in a very cruel way. This problem of violence in the home is increasing rapidly in these days. These women have to hide themselves, but even then, some angry men find them - sometimes with fatal results.
I can hear the prayers, the cries, to God Almighty: “God, do you not see our terrible condition? Do you no care about our pain and difficulties? God, Lord Jesus, you do not know what we are going through, for you have never experienced this.”
Wrong, that prayer, for Jesus did experience the difficulties of a refugee, though he was at that time a young child.
The inspiration and comfort of God
Matthew, the writer of this Gospel, was inspired by the Holy Spirit of the Almighy God, and this is what he learned: He began to see and know that God was aware of this flight and the whole dangerous and difficult situation. God warned Joseph to flee and He knew of the many children killed in Bethlehem. The prophet Jeremiah wrote centuries before this happened, in chapter 31:15, inspired by the Holy Spirit of God: “Thus says the LORD: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children, because they are not.” (RSV)
And then Matthew refers to another prophecy, Hosea 11:1: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”
It is evident that God knew what was going to happen and fitted it in the plan for the life of His Son. And He worked it in such a way that all would work for good. It is really awesome and wonderful to realize this.
Closing: a call to commitment and faith
Faith in God, in His omnipotent power, love, providence and eternal intentions can give every refugee in these days strength and hope in his terrible confusing and frustrating situation. For if God did this for His Son, He will, through Christ, do this also for you. This is the message of the Gospel. That's why the apostle Paul wrote these words in chapter 8 of his great letter to the church at Rome: "We know that in everything God works for the good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose." And in verse 31, 32 of the same chapter he wrote: "What hen shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?" The answer is implied in the question: "Yes, He will give us all things and work in all things for the good."
My dear brother or sister: If you will commit your life as a refugee to our God, the Father of Jesus Christ, you receive a great inner force that gives you peace, trust and hope. This is the presence of the Holy Spirit in you, the great present of Christ. He can even work miracles, change circumstances and give a mighty deliverance. Amen.
Questions? E-mail.... Pastor T. J. de Ruiter