Not My Favorite Christmas

No one wants to miss the magic of Christmas. And no one wants to have anything less than a fantastic Christmas holiday experience. Christmas is this wonderful time of year, and we want to spread that unmitigated joy to everyone! But there are just some Christmases that we don’t have the joy that we want. The truth is some Christmases, we just don’t feel like celebrating Christmas.

Find Matthew 2 with me and look up here when you find it.

Law Enforcement officers from all over DFW gathered to honor slain police officer Richard Lee Houston II. He was responding to a domestic dispute in an Albertson’s parking lot when he was shot and killed. Officer Houston was a father of three and just 46 years old when he died. He was a strong believer as other officers found his Bible and devotional materials in his police car at the time of his death. I don’t think we have to imagine very hard to realize that his wife, Shelly, and his three children will find it hard to celebrate Christmas in a couple of weeks.

Pearl Harbor

On this past Tuesday (December 7), our nation observed the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The bombing began at 7:55 am local time in Hawaii. The enemy chose the first Sunday morning after a military pay-day to launch their surprise attack. Hours later, the last bomb was finally dropped, and 2,403 lives were lost. In just a few hours, America would declare war on the Axis powers of Japan, Italy, and Germany. If you are like me, we often forget just how close the bombing of Pearl Harbor was to Christmas. After all, coffins and Christmas carols don’t go together. A number of families were burying their dead sailors on Christmas 1941. And a number of other families were saying goodbye to their sons and daughters who were off to fight a war. Millie Fricke of Chicago reflected back on that Christmas when she said, “I noticed how much stronger people felt about their faith.” Yet, President Roosevelt determined that there would not only be a Christmas Tree lighting but there would also be a Christmas Eve ceremony.

In the moments to come, I want to speak to you about celebrating Christmas even when we don’t feel like Christmas.

Today’s Scripture

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 until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and 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.”

Then 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. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

“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.”

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But 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. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene” (Matthew 2:13-23).

Our story happens a long time after the first Christmas. Jesus may very well be two years old when our story takes place. The wise men have come and gone from seeing the Christ child. As the wise men leave, Joseph and Mary consider their next move(s). Joseph and Mary will probably finance their trip to Egypt with “gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11). Until Joseph could work again, they could sell or barter the expensive elements to care for their family.

Now, Bethlehem was not the family’s home, and they were likely staying with family there for all this time. Joseph and Mary were from Nazareth, and they were thinking seriously about heading back home. Mary would have wanted to be near her mother. Joseph would have wanted to show off his Son to his family and friends. Instead, the holy family is redirected.