Daily Readings - Wed Dec 28 2022
1 John
5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
Matthew
13When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "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."14So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,15where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."16When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.17Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:18"A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of light and darkness, sin and redemption, and the trust we must place in God’s providence. In the first reading from 1 John, we are reminded that God is light, and to walk in His light means to live in truth and fellowship with one another. John emphasizes that acknowledging our sins and confessing them is not a sign of weakness but of humility and faith. He reassures us that Jesus, the Just One, is our Advocate, who not only forgives our sins but also offers His life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. This passage calls us to honesty about our imperfections and trust in God’s mercy.
The Gospel from Matthew presents a dramatic scene from the early life of Jesus. After the Magi’s visit, Joseph is warned in a dream to flee to Egypt with Mary and the child Jesus to escape Herod’s jealousy and violence. This flight into Egypt fulfills the prophecy that God would call His Son out of Egypt, a motif that echoes Israel’s own deliverance from slavery. Meanwhile, Herod’s brutal decree to kill all boys under two years old in Bethlehem is a chilling reminder of the darkness that opposes God’s plan. Yet, even in the midst of such suffering, God’s Word is fulfilled, and His Son is preserved. The weeping of Rachel for her children, cited from Jeremiah, reflects the sorrow of a world in need of redemption.
These readings remind us that our lives are often marked by the interplay of light and darkness. Like Joseph, we are called to trust in God’s providence, even when the path ahead seems uncertain or dangerous. Like the early Christians addressed by John, we are called to walk in the light of truth, acknowledging our sins and relying on God’s forgiveness. In a world that often chooses darkness over light, we are to be beacons of hope, living in fellowship with one another and trusting in the mercy of our Advocate, Jesus Christ. Let us strive to live in the light, knowing that God’s plan, though sometimes shrouded in mystery, is always one of love and redemption.