December 19, 2025

Matthew 2:13-23 (HCSB)
The Flight into Egypt
13 After they were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and His mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. 15 He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called My Son.
The Massacre of the Innocents
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men17 Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18 A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they were no more.
The Holy Family in Nazareth
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee. 23 Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene.

Noah Leighton
A few years ago, my wife and I decided to put together a new dresser. We’d just moved after getting married, and I was feeling confident—like, “I got this” confident. About thirty minutes in, we had boards spread everywhere, leftover screws piling up, and directions that might as well have been in Greek. At one point, I told her, “Let’s just figure it out ourselves.” Bad idea. Two hours later, the drawers wouldn’t open, one side was backwards, and I was humbled. Turns out, directions exist for a reason. Joseph didn’t have all the details, but he did have directions. “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt.” That was it. No explanation, no timeline, no GPS—just trust. And Joseph followed. Because of that obedience, Jesus was protected, and prophecy was fulfilled. I’ve learned that sometimes following God feels a lot like trying to read confusing instructions. You don’t always understand the why, but obedience keeps your life from falling apart like my dresser. When God gives you direction, you don’t need the whole plan—just the faith to follow the next step.