God With Us [Christmas II]
The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 God with us It is still Christmas. But the plot has twisted, has grown twisted. The angels did not declare the terror that would come so early in the life of the baby Christ. The shepherds did not offer this news to his parents. Mary did not treasure in her heart the hard destiny of her newborn son. It was supposed to be a time of celebration; Mary and Joseph were new parents; their baby was healthy, thanks be to God; Mary's life was preserved through the pain and anxiety of child-birth. The struggles were supposed to be those common to new parents: enduring sleepless nights, coaxing a successful and productive latch, helping mom recover from the physical trauma of child-birth, enduring whatever postpartum symptoms might occur in the weeks following. It was supposed to be the normal new normal. Certainly, Joseph, a common laborer, a man from a village in the hills,...