Sermon - Christmas II, 2026 - Matthew 2:13-23
The Flight into Egypt , Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1828 Rejoicing in Suffering Sent by God God sends suffering God guards us through the suffering God turns all our suffering into glory Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! “ This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. ” God’s ways are beyond human reason. For instance, the prophet Micah declared that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, “ for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd My people Israel. ” Though Jesus was conceived in Nazareth, and Joseph and Mary were already living there, because Israel was under Roman occupation the holy family needed to travel to Bethlehem in order to pay taxes to a foreign nation, and there He was born. The prophecy was fulfilled through suffering. Then, the prophet Hosea declared that the Christ would have to come out of Egypt, saying, “ Out of Egypt I called my Son. ” Now the holy family had to move to Egypt because Herod in his jealous rage sought to murder the Christ. ...