Christmas – A Discourse about a Refugee Family

Christmas – A Discourse about a Refugee Family 

“…..an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt……for Herod is about to search for a child, to destroy him”(Matt 2:13)

Christmas always portrayed as the time of pomp and splendour with colourful decorations, and luxurious living by the consumerism and its advocates. During this time we buy more, eat more, spent more and waste a lot. But do we ever thought about the exilic journey of our Saviour during his incarnation? Do we ever saw the tears of Joseph and Mary at the time of Jesus’ birth? 

The first Christmas exposed the cruel nature of this violent world where the agents of death rules over and its consequences on the innocent and people who are supporting life. The exile of Joseph, Mary and Jesus silently talks about the pain and agony of a driven out/ forced to flee/brutally uprooted family due to life denying political, social, and religious conditions. Even though we don’t have much description about the misery and deplorable living condition of that family, we can sense it through the God-given wisdom and imagination.

1.The Saviour in Exile – Re- defining the understanding of God

Joseph, Mary and Child Jesus were forced to flee from Bethlehem to Egypt and lived there secretly to save the life of Jesus. A tyrant and his decisions negated the basic right of the Holy Family to nurture their child at their home town. King Herod wanted to protect his Power and to safeguard his interests, for which he announced a decree to kill all infants, through the annihilation of the new born King. Where do we search our Saviour? He is with the displaced, abandoned, ignored and uprooted people. The exile of this Holy Family portrays the inevitable conflict in God’s intervention.

2.God’s Favor and the threat of this world  (Luke 1: 28, 30 Matt 1; 19).

Mary and Joseph were described as God’s favoured people and righteous in the gospels and their life describes the very life of people who are favoured at the sight of the Lord. The story of this Holy Family in exile narrates the danger and risk in taking the divine responsibilities. Those who are favoured at the sight of the Lord will be a threat to those who want to protect their own interests and power than the interests of God and People of God. Call to be with God is a call to be disliked or to be abandoned by the tyrants and traitors of this world.

3.Pleasing the tyrants of this World or Pleasing a God in exile?

Tyrants of this world may use sophisticated language or direct us to safeguard their interests with hidden agenda like Herod did. “Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. The he sent them to Bethlehem saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage” (Matt 2: 7-9). But God demands us to listen to God and to disobey the words of the tyrants of this world. “And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road” (Matt 2; 12). Do we really would like to obey the words of the God who always wants us to walk in a different way? Do we really want to obey the words of the traitors of this world who want to protect their interests?

Where do we stand? Whose favour we are looking for, favour of the tyrants of this world (they have this world’s power, wealth, and majesty) or favour of a Saviour who went in exile (He don’t have the power, wealth and majesty of this world)?

Do we see Jesus in the faces of millions of displaced, uprooted and abandoned? What are the reasons of their forced displacement? Who all are responsible for that?

The Holy Family in exile………it says that Christmas is not a fun but it is the decision to be with the God in the midst of the decisions and orders of modern traitors of this world.