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“Escape to Egypt” Matthew 2:13-23 *Click for Audio* Pastor Kevin Vogts Trinity Lutheran Church Paola, Kansas First Sunday after Christmas—December 30, 2018 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. For our Advent and Christmas services during December this year we have had a sermon series on “The Angels of Advent,” looking at what the Bible teaches about angels, and their prominent role in the Advent and Christmas story. Today’s Gospel Reading takes place sometime after Jesus’ birth. “And behold, Wise Men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and have come to worship him.’” After their visit to Bethlehem to worship and offer gifts to the newborn King of Kings, they are warned in a dream not to return to King Herod and tell him the location of this Babe. Because, we are told that when Herod had heard from them about this new King, “he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” Herod and his court feared this little Babe, for they thought he was a usurper, whose followers would lead a revolt to kick out Herod and his court and take over Herod’s earthly kingdom. But, the Babe of Bethlehem had a much greater destiny than simply overthrowing one wicked king. He came into the world on a mission to overthrow all the forces of evil. Hebrews puts it this way: “He shared in our humanity, so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery.” Ever since the fall into sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, all of humankind were held in slavery to the evil forces of sin, death and the devil. But, immediately after the fall, God had promised that one of Eve’s descendants would be the Messiah, God born into the world as a man, to crush and defeat Satan. That is the mission of the Babe of Bethlehem. Paul says in Romans, “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus himself is the first and greatest Christmas gift, for by his victory over sin, death, and the devil, you receive the gift of God, forgiveness, salvation, eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. “He shared in our humanity, so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery.” That is the mission of the Babe of Bethlehem, not simply overthrowing just one wicked king. But, Herod sees this Child only as an earthly rival to his throne, and plans to kill him. “When [the Wise Men] had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Get up, take the Child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill him.’” It is not surprising that God would send an angel to protect his own Son. But, Paul says in Galatians, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Through Holy Baptism, you are born again as God’s beloved child. And, so, just as we read in today’s Gospel Reading that God sent an angel to protect his own Son, Scripture assures us of the wonderful, amazing truth that God also sends his angels to watch over you. Hebrews puts it this way, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” As I said in my sermon on Christmas Day, there are indeed guardian angels watching over you. Psalm 91 says, “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Jesus says of little children, “Their angels in heaven always behold the face of my Father.” “THEIR angels;” and not only little children, but every Christian has “THEIR angels,” special guardian angels, assigned especially to you, to guard you in all your ways. But, usually, we are not aware of the ways angels have delivered us. And, if angels do appear to us, it is often in a form that hides their angelic nature. As Hebrews says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” There is a true story about a Missouri Synod military chaplain stationed in Alaska in the 1960’s. One night he received an urgent call from another base. A woman was having difficulty in childbirth, and she was asking for a Protestant chaplain. He headed out in a jeep, but along the way a blizzard suddenly engulfed him and he went off the road. He was all alone, many miles from anywhere, stuck in a ditch, in complete darkness in a blinding blizzard, unable to see even a few feet in front of his face. As he stood there pondering his desperate situation, he was startled when behind him a voice said softly, “Can I help you, chaplain?” There, from out of nowhere, stood a young man in military uniform. “Where did you come from?” the startled chaplain asked. “Let’s just get your jeep back on the road,” the young man said. Together they pushed it out of the ditch. But, when the chaplain went around to the other side of the jeep, the young man was gone, disappeared into nowhere. He checked all the bases, which kept close track of everyone’s comings and goings, and found that because of the blizzard there was no soldier out anywhere near him that night. That Missouri Synod pastor says there is no other possible explanation than God sent an angel to rescue him. Another Missouri Synod pastor, who was my Hebrew professor in college, was on his way to the hospital, as a seminary student in St. Louis, with his wife in labor, when their car broke down in rush hour traffic. A man stopped and offered them a ride in his pickup, and their first child was born in the back of that pickup on Interstate 270. After they got to the hospital, the man just disappeared. The pastor got his name, and they had a picture of him and could clearly see the license plate on the truck from the hospital security videos. But, despite a massive search by the police and the media, because this became a big story in St. Louis, it turned out no such person or license existed. This true story appeared in Redbook magazine, and the pastor and his wife firmly believe their child’s life was saved by an angel. Those are just two true stories of guardian angels at work. No doubt there have been countless times in your life when angels have been there, guarding you and helping you, without you even knowing it. Only in heaven we will realize all the times our guardian angels have saved us. “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Just as God sent an angel to warn Joseph and protect his own Son, you can be assured that throughout the New Year and your entire life he will send his guardian angels to watch over you, for you are born again as his beloved child. “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Amen. Return to Top \| Return to Sermons \| Home \| Email Church Office

“Escape to Egypt”
Matthew 2:13-23

Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
First Sunday after Christmas—December 30, 2018

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

For our Advent and Christmas services during December this year we have had a sermon series on “The Angels of Advent,” looking at what the Bible teaches about angels, and their prominent role in the Advent and Christmas story.

Today’s Gospel Reading takes place sometime after Jesus’ birth. “And behold, Wise Men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and have come to worship him.’”

After their visit to Bethlehem to worship and offer gifts to the newborn King of Kings, they are warned in a dream not to return to King Herod and tell him the location of this Babe. Because, we are told that when Herod had heard from them about this new King, “he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” Herod and his court feared this little Babe, for they thought he was a usurper, whose followers would lead a revolt to kick out Herod and his court and take over Herod’s earthly kingdom.

But, the Babe of Bethlehem had a much greater destiny than simply overthrowing one wicked king. He came into the world on a mission to overthrow all the forces of evil. Hebrews puts it this way: “He shared in our humanity, so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery.”

Ever since the fall into sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, all of humankind were held in slavery to the evil forces of sin, death and the devil. But, immediately after the fall, God had promised that one of Eve’s descendants would be the Messiah, God born into the world as a man, to crush and defeat Satan. That is the mission of the Babe of Bethlehem.

Paul says in Romans, “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus himself is the first and greatest Christmas gift, for by his victory over sin, death, and the devil, you receive the gift of God, forgiveness, salvation, eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. “He shared in our humanity, so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery.” That is the mission of the Babe of Bethlehem, not simply overthrowing just one wicked king.

But, Herod sees this Child only as an earthly rival to his throne, and plans to kill him. “When [the Wise Men] had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Get up, take the Child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill him.’”

It is not surprising that God would send an angel to protect his own Son. But, Paul says in Galatians, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Through Holy Baptism, you are born again as God’s beloved child. And, so, just as we read in today’s Gospel Reading that God sent an angel to protect his own Son, Scripture assures us of the wonderful, amazing truth that God also sends his angels to watch over you.

Hebrews puts it this way, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” As I said in my sermon on Christmas Day, there are indeed guardian angels watching over you. Psalm 91 says, “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Jesus says of little children, “Their angels in heaven always behold the face of my Father.” “THEIR angels;” and not only little children, but every Christian has “THEIR angels,” special guardian angels, assigned especially to you, to guard you in all your ways.

But, usually, we are not aware of the ways angels have delivered us. And, if angels do appear to us, it is often in a form that hides their angelic nature. As Hebrews says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”

There is a true story about a Missouri Synod military chaplain stationed in Alaska in the 1960’s. One night he received an urgent call from another base. A woman was having difficulty in childbirth, and she was asking for a Protestant chaplain. He headed out in a jeep, but along the way a blizzard suddenly engulfed him and he went off the road. He was all alone, many miles from anywhere, stuck in a ditch, in complete darkness in a blinding blizzard, unable to see even a few feet in front of his face.

As he stood there pondering his desperate situation, he was startled when behind him a voice said softly, “Can I help you, chaplain?” There, from out of nowhere, stood a young man in military uniform. “Where did you come from?” the startled chaplain asked. “Let’s just get your jeep back on the road,” the young man said. Together they pushed it out of the ditch. But, when the chaplain went around to the other side of the jeep, the young man was gone, disappeared into nowhere. He checked all the bases, which kept close track of everyone’s comings and goings, and found that because of the blizzard there was no soldier out anywhere near him that night. That Missouri Synod pastor says there is no other possible explanation than God sent an angel to rescue him.

Another Missouri Synod pastor, who was my Hebrew professor in college, was on his way to the hospital, as a seminary student in St. Louis, with his wife in labor, when their car broke down in rush hour traffic. A man stopped and offered them a ride in his pickup, and their first child was born in the back of that pickup on Interstate 270.

After they got to the hospital, the man just disappeared. The pastor got his name, and they had a picture of him and could clearly see the license plate on the truck from the hospital security videos. But, despite a massive search by the police and the media, because this became a big story in St. Louis, it turned out no such person or license existed. This true story appeared in Redbook magazine, and the pastor and his wife firmly believe their child’s life was saved by an angel.

Those are just two true stories of guardian angels at work. No doubt there have been countless times in your life when angels have been there, guarding you and helping you, without you even knowing it. Only in heaven we will realize all the times our guardian angels have saved us.

“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Just as God sent an angel to warn Joseph and protect his own Son, you can be assured that throughout the New Year and your entire life he will send his guardian angels to watch over you, for you are born again as his beloved child. “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”

Amen.

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