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The Journey to Egypt and Back December 29, 2019 \ Our Savior’s Way Lutheran Pastor Labuhn Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord and Savior, Christ. It seems like it was yesterday that we gathered here and celebrated together. Christmas is always such a wonderful time of the year. You just want to savor it a little while longer. But in just two days, we will be celebrating for a different reason, this time to say goodbye to the old and ring in the new year. We know that it will be a year of change for Our Savior’s Way, because while Sally and Pastor Mann are on vacation this weekend, next Sunday is their last Sunday. We will be saying goodbye to them and begin our search for our next Senior Pastor. And while we don’t quite what know will happen, we do know that God is with us and, God willing, He will move us forward according to His good and gracious will for us. The Nativity scene that we talked about this past has changed as well. The presents have been unwrapped, and while we are still in the season of Christmas, we are still facing the reality of a cold, harsh world. A world where the bills still need to be paid, and the business of Northern Virginia begins again as people will be going back to work soon. Because we live in a world that demands attention. A world where we hear about Syria still attacking it’s own people as they try to flee into Turkey. And even though the has come for all people, the world in which we live is still sinful, and not all people welcome Him into their lives. That was certainly the reality that Joseph must’ve felt when an of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said to Joseph, “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.” It was a warning that came to him just before , who was often filled with paranoia, decided to kill all of the male children in who were two years and younger. Because He had heard that there was a new King born in his lands. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been fortunate enough for as long as I’ve lived on this earth that I’ve never had to get up in the middle of the night and flee. Even in a dream. For Joseph, this must have been unsettling. If it were me, I might’ve woken up wondering if it was just a nightmare. But Joseph, rather than discounting it as just a dream, wisely listened to the angel, and obeyed the message. He gathered his young family and left that night. Unknowingly, he was helping to fulfill what the prophet Hosea once wrote, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”(Hosea 11:1) I can only imagine the questions that came from Mary. The concern and the worry and the doubt that went through their minds. Do you think she might’ve told Joseph that he was crazy? Mary, who had given birth not too many days before, had to get up in the middle of the night, and carry her newborn in order to make that long journey. A journey that would have taken them not just 75 miles away to Egypt, but more than 150 miles to the closest settlement in Egypt. There’s a story of a pastor who one year decided to visit the Sunday School classrooms after Christmas. One of the teachers wanted to impress him by having each child draw a picture of some part of the Christmas story. The teacher put the artwork on the wall for the pastor to see. As he came by the classroom, he noticed the artwork and took the time to identify each drawing's meaning. There was one with a barn and a man and a woman. Which was obvious that this was Joseph, Mary, and Jesus at the . Another had sheep, men, and in the sky. He thought that this must be the Heavenly Host when the shepherd heard of the birth of their savior. Another had some camels and a star in the sky above. This must’ve been the wise men traveling to find the Christ child. But the last one puzzled him. It was a picture of an airplane with three figures going up the steps boarding the plane with someone in the cockpit. He wondered how this could be part of the Christmas story. He noticed that a child was standing in front of the picture, so he asked if they drew the picture. The child proudly answered “yes.” So he asked the child how it was part of the Christmas story. "It's Jesus' flight to Egypt." Okay…. said the pastor but who is that up front? "Oh, That's Pontius, the pilot." Did Joseph really know what he was doing? Probably not but what mattered most was that He listened to what God had to say. Joseph could have disregarded God’s plan or tried to reason with God by saying that it would be more comfortable for Mary and the baby to hide out with some relatives. He could have tried to wait it out to see if God would reveal to him the whole plan before deciding to follow the plan. There were sure to be some kind of bumps in the road on the way. Was he making the right decision for his family? Instead trying to understand the full scope of God’s plan, and not knowing quite what would happen, Joseph trusted what had been revealed to him. Sometimes it’s hard for us for us to trust in God’s plans, because we like to trust in our own carefully laid out plans instead. We drag our feet, waiting to see how His plan might unfold before we start to follow it. We want to remain in control. We join in activities designed for our spiritual growth but don’t venture too far beyond comfort zones. But as much as we trust in ourselves, we will never be able to overcome sin, death and evil. Time and time again we find that we need more than ourselves. We need God’s help…

God has a plan for your life’s journey. This plan included the birth of Jesus, and the fulfillment of prophecy. While we see the evil in this world trying to take control of His plan in the killing of the innocents. He knows the importance of His plan even before Jesus is born. That is why some consider them the very first martyrs of . And yet, God calls His Son out of Egypt and fulfills prophecy. Jesus grows up to be a Nazarene, continuing to fulfill God’s plan. In doing so, He does the will of His Father, by going to the cross and dying for you and me. He descends into Hell and on the third day, He rises victorious over sin, death and the devil, so that we might have new life in Him. As we move forward in the New Year, by His Spirit, we look to God’s Word to lead us and guide us into the future. We read in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV) And we are reminded that we don’t need to worry about what may or may not happen in the future. He has a plan for us. While it might seem like we just celebrated Christmas and it now seems to be over, God is still with us. His love and grace will continue to shine through at Our Savior’s Way. His Word will be shared, and His Sacraments will be given, so that His good and gracious will for us might be done in and through us as we form relationships, experience Jesus together and share God’s love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. Service Notes: The Journey to Egypt and Back 1. Now that Christmas is over.... 1. I am ready for the new year to begin 2. I want it to last a little longer 3. I am not ready for the new year begin 4. I am not ready for Pastor Mann and Sally to retire 2. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said to him, "Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt...." If I heard that in a dream, I would.... 1. roll over and go back to sleep. 2. get up and obey the message. 3. decide that I would do in the morning. 4. wonder what I ate last night. 5. do something else: ______. 3. (T/F) The journey to Egypt was more like 150 miles away. 4. (T/F) Joseph trusted in God's plan which means that I can trust in God's plan for my life as well. 5. (T/F) While Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He grew up in Nazareth. 6. God will take care of us because His Word is true and it says in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the ______I have for you," declares the Lord, "______to prosper you and not to harm you, ______to give you ______and a ______."