In the Gospel of Matthew, there was no census, or adoring shepherds, or Angel Gabrielle for Jesus’ birth. There was instead, a simple birth and then a visit by some wise men drawn by a star.

And after that section, Matthew’s story takes a very unique turn. An angel comes to Joseph and tells him that he and his family need to flee to Egypt. In Matthew’s version, this angel tells Joseph that they have to run because Herod, who is threatened by Jesus, is going to search for the child and kill him. Joseph obeys the angel and escapes with his family into Egypt where they stayed until Herod died.

That’s all that exists of this story in the New Testament. And this story only exists in the Gospel of Matthew, nowhere else in the New Testament. These stories of Jesus’ time in Egypt as an infant are held with much value and sacredness by the Coptic Church which is based in Egypt. But regardless of the truth that many Coptic Christians draw from this story, most biblical scholars think this story actually didn’t happened. Most think that the story is in Matthew’s Gospel in order to connect the narrative of Jesus with that of Moses for Matthew’s Jewish audience. So, did the story actually happen? Probably not. But is there truth to be found in this story? Most definitely! Especially in our contemporary times.

I think this is a critical story for us to consider how these ancient words connect with our world today. Remember that at its core, this is a story of the holy family needing to flee their homeland, needing to leave their home and their family with little to no notice or planning and escape to somewhere where they would be safe. This is a story of a family who fled for their lives, leaving everything behind, except each other. They had no notice, no preparation, no time to imagine a better life somewhere else. Instead, in this story, they were running for their lives.

This is a critical story for us to consider because it’s a story that is achingly common right now, in our contemporary times. Currently there are around 123 million people worldwide who have been forced to flee their homes. That means that worldwide, 1 out of 69 people have been forcibly displaced from their homes. And about half of those forcibly displaced are children, half. Persecution, famine, war and violence have driven millions to seek safety and refuge.

These people are different than those that are looking for jobs or an education. These tens of millions of people have often made the painful and difficult decision to leave their countries in search of safety, often with little or no warning and they can’t return home unless and until conditions in their native lands are safe for them again.

The stories of those tens of millions of people are not that dissimilar from the story of the holy family that we heard of in our scripture today. Fleeing their home with little or no warning, going somewhere unfamiliar, leaving behind their life and their livelihood, all for the sole purpose of seeking safety for their families. Because that is what our scripture passage today is about right? A family on the run, trying to find safety in an unknown land.

The image that is projected in our Sanctuary and is on your bulletins today is a contemporary artists rendition that reimagines the story of Jesus’ family escaping to Egypt, as modern-day refugees. And it challenges us to consider how understanding Jesus as a refugee, challenges what we may think about the current plight of the world’s refugees?

Or to put it plainer, if we can see Jesus as a refugee in that story, can we see refugees as Jesus? I’m going to say that one again, because I believe it’s the crux of the challenge to our modern-day understanding of this critical story …..if we can see Jesus as a refugee, can we see refugees as Jesus? And perhaps the most critical follow-up question then is this, if we can see Jesus as a refugee and in turn can see refugees as Jesus, what are we called to do to respond to that insight?

Now, in the coming year it is certain that our country will grapple with immigration policies, with decisions about the policies impacting asylum seekers and decisions about what resources to share with our global partners intended to help address the refugee challenge. President Trump has made his feelings about immigration and immigrants very clear.

Most recently he stated about our immigration policies that ‘the US is like a garbage can for the world’. He has referred to immigrants as ‘rapists’, “blood thirsty criminals,” “animals,” “stone cold killers,” the “worst people,” the “enemy from within” and the “most violent people on earth” that he states are ruining the “fabric” of the country and its culture. Those are all direct quotes.

Additionally, it is highly likely that based on the current plans of the incoming administration, that post inauguration we may see in this country, expedited removal of immigrants, the use of military personnel and hardware on our borders, calls for new laws to shut down our borders, laws placing higher hurdles for asylum seekers and the elimination of relief programs and visa categories that would severely cut back or eliminate whole categories of temporary and permanent visas.

Given all of that, I encourage us all to return to this critical story of the baby Jesus and his parents fleeing with to safety, afraid for their lives. This story calls us to look into the eyes of the world’s asylum seekers and refugees and see the eyes of the infant Jesus, God among us, Emmanuel, fleeing in fear, searching for safety. This story is no minor detail, no accidental inclusion in the Christmas story. On the contrary, this story echoes the stories and teachings found throughout the Hebrew Scripture. ‘Love the stranger, for you were strangers in the Land of Egypt’.

And this story should be thought of as setting the stage for Jesus’ ministry and his life. Throughout his ministry, Jesus, the former refugee, focused his leadership on serving ‘the least of these’ through feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and most of all, welcoming the stranger. If you want to find him, Jesus taught, look to the most vulnerable. Look to the hungry, the naked, the stranger, the refugee. There, you’ll find Jesus. ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of my brethren you did it to me.’

Our sacred scriptures, both in the Hebrew Scriptures and in the New Testament, point to a clear mandate when it comes to the stranger. We must welcome the stranger; we must love the stranger. That is the message of the ancient prophets and that is the message of Jesus. Our sacred scriptures demand that we reach out to welcome and to love the stranger, to welcome and to love the one who is a foreigner in a foreign land. It is one of the clearest ‘must do’s’ that exists in our Bible.

But welcoming the stranger doesn’t just have to be something that we MUST do. It should also be something that we want to do, something that we run to, that we gladly embrace. Because when we welcome the foreigner in a foreign land, we not only see Jesus in the refugee, but we also enrich and enliven our communities in multiple ways.

First off, our communities flourish economically when we welcome the immigrant, the stranger. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, immigration has been the major driving force behind U.S. labor force growth over the past 20 years. During that time, the foreign born have accounted for nearly three-quarters of all growth in the labor force. All of the research points to immigration leading to more innovation, a better educated workforce, and higher overall economic productivity. And tells us that the U.S. will actually need to increase immigration levels to make sure that we can continue to sustain our communities and continue growing our economy.

Welcoming the stranger is good for our economy. And is also good for the souls of our communities. Immigration promotes a more diverse society and our communities thrive when diversity is present. Immigrants bring new customs, traditions, cuisines, and artistic expressions, all that enrich and enliven our communities. Immigrants bring in cultural diversity, they enrich local traditions, revitalize neighborhoods, foster innovation and provide a younger workforce to support aging populations. All of this contributes to more vibrant and dynamic communities.

So, it is highly probable that immigration in our country will be a hot topic in the months to come. But this isn’t a matter of who the president is or which party is in power. This is about Christians leaning into the core teachings of our faith tradition. And those core teachings tell us that we should be turning toward the stranger, toward the refugees from vulnerable parts of the world, not away from them. Jesus was a refugee. Jesus is a refugee. Those of us who try to follow Jesus on the way, as best we can do, need to take that insight and stand with and for and by those who needed to flee their homeland in order to escape to somewhere where they would be safe. We need to provide both that welcome and that sanctuary. We need to see Jesus in the refugee and we need to love the refugee.

How can we do that? We can stay informed. We can speak up to our elected officials. We can challenge unwelcoming remarks about immigrants in our community, at work, and at home. We can support local immigrant-owned businesses. And we can donate our time or money to organizations that are providing direct assistance to welcoming and supporting refugees in our community.

Jesus was a refugee. Jesus is a refugee. Right now, Jesus is one of the 123 million people worldwide who have been forced to flee their homes.

I’m going to close today with a quote from Dina Nayeri, who writes

“It is the obligation of every person born in a safer room to open the door when someone in danger knocks.”

Friends, may we hear that knock and may we each find a way to open the door.
This I pray.
Amen