Jesus Was a Refugee

January 6^th, 2019     “Jesus Was a Refugee”    Rev. Heather Jepsen

Matthew 2:1-23 and Isaiah 60:1-6

         One of my favorite T-shirts is a bright blue one that declares in big letters “Jesus Was A Refugee”.  I get a lot of compliments when I wear this T Shirt but I often wonder if people are really reading it.  In fact, I get the feeling that at least half of the people who say they like it do so just because it says “Jesus” in big letters at the top.  I often want to quiz people who compliment the shirt asking, “When was Jesus a refugee?” but that’s not really polite conversation so I just smile and keep quiet.

         Well, the story of Jesus as a refugee is found here, in the second chapter of Matthew’s gospel.  Rather than Luke’s story about Mary, Matthew’s gospel is all about Joseph and his role as a father.  Joseph is engaged to Mary but finds out she’s pregnant before the wedding.  He plans a quiet divorce but an angel visits him in dream, telling him that this child is special, one who shall be called Emmanuel.  Joseph follows the angel’s advice and marries Mary despite the odd circumstances.  The son is born and it is Joseph who gives him the name Jesus.

         King Herod is the ruler of the Jews at this time.  A Jew himself, he is firmly ensconced within the Roman power structure and was known for sacrificing the interests of his own people in the name of the Roman Empire.  Herod has heard of this child and fears what it might mean to have one born “king of the Jews”, a title he likes to reserve for himself.  The Wise Men travel at Herod’s bidding and find the child in Bethlehem.  They worship him there, but do not return to Herod for they too have been warned of danger.

         At this point the story returns to Joseph.  He dreams again and learns that the child is in danger of Herod’s murderous wrath.  Joseph is told to take the child and flee Bethlehem and Judah into the neighboring country of Egypt.  Herod attacks and has all the children younger than 2 killed within the city of Bethlehem.  It is a great and profound tragedy.  Joseph and the holy family remain in Egypt until the death of Herod several years later.  They make their return to Judah but their hometown of Bethlehem is still deemed unsafe and so the family settles in Nazareth.  This is the story of how Jesus was a refugee.

         This is Epiphany Sunday, the official end of the Christmas season and the day we celebrate the arrival of the wise men to worship the baby Jesus.  Merriam Webster’s defines Epiphany as an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure.  The church usually focuses the story this day on the arrival of the wise men and their gifts.  The illuminating discovery that the church traditionally focuses on is the arrival of outsiders to worship the divine child.  This connects with our reading from Isaiah, where nations shall be drawn to the light of Israel.  The wise men represent people from other nations, other cultures, and other religions being drawn to the light of Christ.  It is a new awakening of faith as the love of God for the Jews is transformed in the life of Jesus Christ to a love that is available for all people in all times and places.  That truly is a profound epiphany.

         And yet, most of us already knew that this morning.  As I was pondering the texts this week, I thought I might discover more if I turned the whole message of a traditional epiphany sermon on its head.  What if the epiphany is not about outsiders finding Jesus?  What if, instead, epiphany is about insiders (us) finding Jesus anew in outsiders?  Now there is a new realization and discovery, now there is a fresh epiphany.

         When we delve into the full story of this Sunday, we find not only the child worshipped with gifts, we find also the child who is a refugee.  This takes us way out of our quaint manger scenes and into the raw world of the nightly news forecast.  Imagine Jesus as every child we see who is being hauled by a desperate father into a new place looking for safety and hope.  The terror in Bethlehem was real, as Herod kills all the children there.  The flight to Egypt is real, as we imagine a holy family sneaking across a border into the neighboring country.  A life of hiding is real, as they seek to remain under the radar, managing to live and work for years without being noticed by the Egyptian authorities or Herod’s spies.  And then the frightful return home.  The family cannot go back to Bethlehem, the hometown where they have friends and neighbors.  Though they return to their country, they must hide in a different city, forming a new life in Nazareth.

         Rather than focusing on outsiders finding a Jesus we already know.  This Sunday we might instead focus on finding Jesus in the refugee children of the world.  The migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe and if they are lucky enough to survive being told that the boat is not welcome in any port.  We could find Jesus in the Syrian family, fleeing the violence that has absolutely destroyed their country, walking for miles and still unable to find a place to be.  We could find Jesus among the Rohingya of Myanmar, a population completely decimated because of state sanctioned violence.  We could find Jesus with the Afghan family, trying to immigrate to the United States after their father has helped American forces and is no longer safe at home because of his offer of aid to the US.  And of course, we could find Jesus at our own southern border, running in diapers away from tear gas as his momma continues to run from drug and gang violence in her home town.  When we read the story of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel we cannot deny that these are the people Matthew would have us equate with our Lord.  Jesus was a refugee child, hauled across a border, by a father seeking safety and a better life.  This is a true epiphany for us today. 

         Epiphany is also thought of as a season of light in the church.  We are enlightened by new ideas, and we seek the light of Christ in our lives.  Drawing again from Isaiah we know that Jesus is the light of the world; we see him and are filled with radiance.  Jesus can also be a light shining in the dark places, opening our eyes to things we haven’t seen before.  Enlightening us to the circumstances and sufferings of those whose lives are so different from our own. 

         This New Year, as we make commitments to live better lives and be better people, let us also commit to looking for the light of Christ in the world.  Let us lift up both of these epiphany lessons.  Jesus is a light to the world, that draws others into its presence.  Jesus is God’s love, open to people from all walks of life, from all religions, and from no religion at all.  Jesus is also a light shining on the dark places of our world, one who draws those of faith to look for him among outsiders and those who suffer.  Jesus was a refugee, and so we should have compassion for all the refugees on our broken planet.

         This New Year, may you find the light of Christ in your own life.  May others be drawn to your faith, and may your faith draw you to others.  This year let us shine for Christ and let us shine a light on the sufferings of others.  Let us serve our Lord by serving the outsiders and the outcasts.  Let us remember that Jesus was a refugee.  Amen.