About Christ in conflict…
Matthew 2:14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for
Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had
said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son." (NIV)
"Under the cover of darkness" sounds like something from a spy novel. Spies
do a lot of their work at night so they cannot be easily identified. In the middle of the
warmth and love of Christ's birth, we have inserted into this account an escape into
another country because of a terrorist attack. No, they did not call it a terrorist attack
but the evil is the same. In the middle of the most wonderful story ever told we have evil
rising. This Christmas, in December 2001, the whole world knows about what happened on 9 -
11. Even the date, 9 -11 is burned into the consciousness of the world. Yes, there are
similarities between the day's of Christ's birth and this year. Satan and his evil minions
still lurk about seeing who they can devour. However, we have a just and loving God who
sent His Son to die for us. In dying for us, Christ came into the terror of this world to
give us His Light of hope, love, caring, and compassion. This Christmas (for many, and
certainly for the thousands of persons touched by the attacks of 9 - 11) will not be the
warm and wonderful Christmas we might hold dear in our memory. Strangely enough, this
Christmas will be more like the first Christmas when evil sought to slaughter our Savior.
In Christ, we have our hope. In Christ, we have our life. Thank you precious Lord.
