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Our Advent theme was based on the hymn “What Child is This?” The chorus answers the question by starting, “This, this is Christ the King…” On this first Sunday of Christmastide, I would like to propose that we, too, look for a new world order based on true peace and compassion.

Our scripture text for today is the subsequent story of the flight of the Holy Family as refugees, running from the threat of extinction by Herod. He was an insecure tyrant, afraid that a child born in Bethlehem might overthrow him as the ruler.

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.”  When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.  They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:

‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
    who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.  Then 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.”  When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.  On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. Matt. 2:1-12

I knew we were visiting a refugee camp. I’m not certain what I expected – but it was NOT what I expected. Honestly, I had not given a great amount of mental energy to the visit before we left on the trip. A group of lovely grandmas singing and dancing us into the refugee camp was not even close to what I had imagined. One after another, they stood to speak of their faith, their hope, their encouragement, and their excitement that we brought some new possibility for water and food with us. Again, this was not anything I had imagined in my wildest dreams.

These refugees spoke of their home country being at war for 35+ years and having to leave all of their homes, possessions, and some family members behind those many decades ago to come to a foreign place and sleep in tents with whatever they could carry on their backs. Most of their fathers, husbands and older sons had died in the war. These women took turns – sometimes for days – eating or drinking – to save the little that was rationed – for the children.

I tried to imagine what it would be like to be in their position. I could not. My worst day is not even comparable. What do I do when life seems awful? I go to lunch with girlfriends or escape to a movie… or eat junk food…. Or call a friend… or settled in with a great novel. My coping skills seemed so shallow in comparison to these women’s woes.

Our scripture for today tells us that Joseph, Mary and Jesus became refugees and hastily fled to Egypt to avoid Herod’s campaign to kill Jesus. That is correct – Jesus and his family were refugees and relied on the hospitality of Egyptians to stay safe when home was no longer secure. This is a child whose life cost who knows how many children’s lives before his even got started. We do not have any Biblical stories of Jesus ever returning to Bethlehem in his life – which begs the question about how this tragic killing of innocent children affected Jesus personally.

Advent calls us to wrestle honestly with this truth: troubles do not disappear just because Jesus arrived. The world is still harsh and riddled with injustice. Most of us have not had to flee our homes because of imminent peril or to secure safety for our family. But I can imagine that the God who became a refugee holds deep compassion for those who are forced to make similar choices because that memory is embedded in God’s own body.

Think of Zechariah, a priest, who is said to have protected his child, John, (later John the Baptist), from the murderous actions of Herod’s armies, only to be killed himself. Think of Elizabeth and Mary, a barren woman and a young girl who found themselves unexpectedly pregnant. Think of shepherds, tradesmen, foreign magi, all of whom were part of God’s work to bring peace into an oppressive ruler and empire.

Jesus came into the world without an army and he invited people to participate in their own liberation by living into a different story. That first Advent shows God wrestling with the struggles common to the disadvantaged. And this Advent, we have joined in solidarity with humanity, sharing in struggles and hopes. May there be calm, bright nights ahead for the peacemakers, the meek, and all people God accompanies through advent still.