Matthew 2:13-23
Summary of today’s Gospel:
- God humbles Himself to save mankind, leaving His rightful inheritance as God and becoming man; being born as a baby in Bethlehem.
- And how does the world He has come to save greet Him? Is He born in a temple? In a palace? These would have been seemed more fitting than what it gave Him: a manger in a stable.
- Worse yet, when the leaders of the day learned of His birth from the wise men – what was their reaction? Did they submit to the Ruler of All Ages? Did they nurture, serve, and protect Him so that He could grow into manhood as their prophet, priest, and king?
- No. In today’s Gospel, we hear how the Holy Family had to flee the Holy Land into Egypt in order to avoid assassination.
- The Holy One, the Savior, had come into the world and it tried to kill Him, with the murder of “Rachel’s children” as the sacrifice on the altar of their own selfish rage.
It is a shameful tale, and it serves as a warning to us all. As always, it is less useful for us to see ourselves in the place of the angels, or the wise men, or the shepherds in this bit of history – not when we are so often the very people who humble Christ, persecute Him, and drive Him out of our lives.
Re-summarizing the Gospel – for us as individuals
- Yes, just as Christ humbled Himself to become a child in Bethlehem so that He could transform the world; so to has He humbled Himself to into our midst – the temple of each of our hearts – in order to transform us.
- And unfortunately the parallel between these stories continues: how is the heart into which He comes? Is it a place befitting the Ruler of the Ages? Or is it more like an animal’s trough in a forgotten section of our lives, our own equivalent of the stable manger?
- And having learned that God is within us, how do we react? Do we center our lives on this reality, or do we persecute Him by driving Him our of our minds, out of our thoughts, out of our plans, and out of our lives?
Christ really has been born within us. He lives in the center of our souls. But our souls are so clouded by our thoughts and by our feelings that we do not even notice. If we are not very careful, if we do not work against our fallen natures, instead of nurturing the Christ within us, we will nurture our own pride and call it “God”. But the god we create is a pale shadow of the true god – enough to delude us, but not enough to save us.
Re-summarizing the Gospel – for us as a parish
- “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am there” (Matthew 18:20). Just as Christ humbled Himself to become a child in Bethlehem so that He could transform the world; so to has He humbled Himself to into our midst – here at this parish of St. Mary’s – so that we can be saved through Him and so that we would exercise His love, salvation, and authority throughout the broader community.
- [The full quote is; Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:18-20)]
- He is in our midst, but how do we respond? Yes, we have offered Him a beautiful temple (or is it for ourselves? It is always so hard to tell), but what about the culture we have fostered?
- When people come here with a fragile faith, how do we respond? Faith of people – even people who grew up here, and especially people who have been away – can be very fragile. Like the Christ- child, it is capable of bringing salvation but in its early years, it is vulnerable. It can be killed. Or, if not killed, then at least driven away.
- If it is nourished, if it is allowed to grow, faith can offer salvation … have we created a culture that is peaceful? That is spiritually safe? That is nourishing? Is it the kind of place that someone who has been hurt – perhaps even hurt here, by us – can find a safe and welcoming home where they can rekindle their love of God?
- Or is it a place where we judge them? Where we question their motives? Where we demand reparations from them for the damage their absence has done to us?
- God gave us the power to bound and loose the sins of men… He Himself uses it sacrificially so that even the basest prodigal can be saved. Is that how we ourselves exercise our power? What are we willing to sacrifice so that strangers and the estranged can find a home here at St. Mary’s? Christ was willing to give His very life … are we willing to let bygones be bygones – or at least keep our mumbling and grumbling and bitterness over deeds long past buried within the sepulchers of our own dead souls rather than giving them the breath of undead life by voicing them?
Ego or Christ; Pride or Agape – how do we know?
This has all been a bit abstract, so let me put it in terms that are easy to understand; the Messiah did not live for Himself – every action, everything He did (His very life!), was done in sacrificial service to others. And not just to others, but to others who were not like Him, who rarely understood or appreciated what He was doing.
And He did it not out of fear of damnation or hope of a reward (eternal or otherwise), but because He was truly devoted to others – He was love incarnate.
If your life really is characterized by this kind of selfless action – then there is no doubt that Christ is growing within your heart.
But let me warn you: the god of our pride is the master of illusions. It will attempt to convince us that we are more generous with ourselves than we really are. The practical test is this: are we willing to live outside our comfort zones, deny yourselves (take up the cross, St. Matthew 16:24), and do things for others without the slightest concern about receiving something in return (St. Matthew 5:43-48)? Because this is love of Christ, and it is this kind of attitude that is the sign of the real Christian (St. John 13:34-35) and of the real Christian community..
If we are like most men and most in-groups, when challenged to actually do something selfless, our egos will stand up on their thrones and begin making excuses. Christ never made an excuse a day in His life. He rolled up His sleeves and did what needed to be done – and He did it. We ourselves have work to do. Let’s roll up our own sleeves and get to work.
Christ is Born! And He has made His home within the manger of our souls. The rest is up to us.
