Matthew 2:13–23

¹³Now 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 until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." ¹⁴And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son." ¹⁶Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. ¹⁷Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: ¹⁸"A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more." ¹⁹But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." ²¹And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. ²³And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: "He shall be called a Nazarene."

It was a dark night out there in that stable, on that midnight clear. According to the carols we sing, it was a peaceful, quiet, calm night. While the cattle were lowing, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head in a manger, no crib for a bed, and the stars in the sky looked down where he lay asleep in the hay. It was a silent night, a holy night. All was calm; all was bright. The virgin and child, so tender and mild, asleep in heavenly peace. On Christmas cards you can see the radiant beams from his holy face.

What child is this, who, laid to rest on Mary's lap, is sleeping? Off in the distance, Angels were heard on high, sweetly singing on the plain and the mountains echoing in reply. As shepherds in the field lay keeping their sheep, the angelic hosts proclaimed, "Christ is born in Bethlehem." Hark, the herald angels sing, "glory to the newborn king."

Mary and Joseph were so tranquil as they looked lovingly at their new born son. What joy radiated from their eyes. What warmth in their smiles. How gracious they were as they received the strange visitors that night; shepherds coming in from the fields to see this great sight. They probably didn't have a plate of warm Christmas cookies to offer, or cups of hot cider poured out for their guests, there wasn't even a Christmas tree in the corner or boughs of holly decking the halls. But their love and warmth adorned that silent and holy night; all was calm; all was bright.

For us, it brings back warm memories of our childhood, snuggled up beside our parents around the brightly adorned Christmas tree, playing soft Christmas music and sipping hot chocolate as we open our presents.

But not all is as it seems. This sweet, innocent, holy child had been born into enemy territory. Soon the king, spurred on by Satan, would amass his armies, intent on destroying this tiny, little child. What appears as pastoral serenity in our nativity scenes, was soon to become ground zero for a most unholy, wicked attack on dozens of holy, innocent babies. These innocent martyrs would portend the persecution, suffering and ultimate death of this tiny baby lying in a manger. These innocent martyrs would be crowned with the honor of substituting in death for the King of Kings, redeeming him from an untimely fate that would have put an end to your salvation. These innocent babies died so that Jesus could die on the cross and save you from death. They are the stars in heaven that looked down on that baby in a manger and poured out their soft light onto his innocent face.

These tiny babies, murdered so cruelly, remind us of the babies born to Israelite mothers in Egypt who were put to death by Pharaoh. Yet, having escaped this evil plot, Moses became the deliverer by whose hand God called his people out of slavery; by the death of the firstborn sons of Egypt, by the blood of the lambs, through the waters of the Red Sea, and thus God made them his sons.

Now, one greater than Moses is here. This innocent, holy babe, lying in a manger, having escaped the evil plot of Herod, was the Son of God whom he called out of Egypt to be our deliverer from the slavery and death of sin. Our sin. The sin that drove Herod to kill the holy innocents. The sin that violently attacked the Son of this virgin from the manger to the cross. The sin that caused the wounds, the lashes, the nail holes in his hands and feet, the gash in his side and finally his ugly death on a piece of wood shaped into a cross. It is our sin. Your sin. My sin. Every day, by our sin, we drive those nails deeper and deeper into his hands. Every day, by our sin, we strike his cheek harder and harder. Every day, by our sin, we smash that crown of thorns down on his head deeper into his flesh. It was our sin that put him to death. It was for our sin that he was buried in a cold, dark grave. It was for our sin that His Father in heaven abandoned him and cast him into the fires of eternal punishment. Yes, this tiny, innocent, holy baby that we see sweetly sleeping in his mother's arms as the angels sing: "Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to men of good will," suffered violence and death on account of your sin.

It was into this world of sin and death and violence and ugliness and murder that this babe had come. And he came just for this reason; to suffer this violence and death and ugliness that we are prisoners to, for us. In our place. To take into his own flesh our sin and evil. Today we still murder innocent babies in the womb of their mothers. Today we still try to destroy the Christ and put him out of our lives by our unbelief, our rejection of his rule over our lives, by our wicked attempts to be masters of our own fate instead of submitting to God's will for our lives. Today we still persecute Jesus by being critical of his children, pointing fingers of blame at our brothers in Christ, by forming clicks and closed groups among ourselves. Yes, we love our neighbor, as long as our neighbor is one of our own, a friend, a family member, someone in our own group. We persecute Jesus today by not caring for outsiders and people different from us and by not actively seeking to bring that person to the saving knowledge of Christ.

Oh, sinner, repent! Repent of the persecution of Christ, the rejection of his love by your lack of love for others. Repent of your lack of love for his Word and lack of thirsting for the Sacrament. Out of Egypt God called his Son. Out of the Egypt of your sin God has called you to be His sons. One greater than Moses is here. He is the firstborn Son of God who died to set his people free. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world by his blood painted over the doors of heaven. He is the deliverer who leads you out your Egypt of sin and decadence. He leads you out through the waters of Baptism, making you sons of God.

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, "Abba, Father!" "You are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." "You are God's children now, and what you will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears you shall be like him, because you shall see him as he is."

Because of this holy child, born in Bethlehem, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger, who came to suffer the hatred and violence in which we live, God freed you from slavery to sin. You have been released from captivity; your bonds have been broken. This holy child whom we worship and adore at Christmas lives in you through Holy Communion. As you eat his very flesh and drink his holy blood, He joins himself to you. In Him you are God's son and heirs to his kingdom. Your Father will nourish you. He will sustain you in all hardship. He will protect you from your enemies. He will strengthen you in weakness; keep your feet from stumbling; and pick you up when you fall.

As he called his Son out of Egypt, so he calls you out of sin and wrongdoing. Put away your selfishness. Put away your pride. Put away the bitterness and hatred that enslaves your hearts. Put away lust and iniquity. Put away fighting and criticisms. Put on the righteousness of God. Put on love for one another; love your enemy; pray for those who persecute you. Put on humility and peace; patience, gentleness and goodness. Seek out every opportunity for charity and deeds of mercy, for these are your treasures that are stored up in heaven. Bend down to serve the weak, the poor, the hungry and the suffering, for such service is your crown of glory.

This is what identifies you as sons of God. "By your love they will know that you are Christians." It is your love, your unselfish service, your humble giving of yourself for others that marks you as one in Christ; a son of God.

And the peace that passes all understanding will keep your hearts in Christ Jesus for all eternity, because this baby born in Bethlehem suffered all your violence and hatred and evil plots in his own flesh to free you from your slavery in Egypt through the waters of your Baptism. Because he was born in Bethlehem and died on Calvary; because you put on Christ in your Baptism and are now one with Jesus, look closely at the Babe on your Christmas cards. It is your face you see in that manger. Your violent, troubled heart has been turned into a silent night, a holy night. Now, all is calm; all is bright. And the stars in heaven look down where you lay asleep in heavenly peace with your sweet head on a soft pillow. What child is this who laid to rest is sleeping? It is you, a child of God, whom angels sing, "Peace on earth to men of good will...Glory to the newborn King who has made you a son of God and an heir to His kingdom."

Amen.