Matthew 2:13-16

Christ Church takes the story of the flight to Egypt and uses it to make us think about what the “old, old story” of Jesus tells us about this very contemporary issue. Patrick Odum challenges us to think critically and lovingly in light of our new-found awareness of baby Jesus' status as a refugee from violence.

We sometimes forget that Jesus' birth, so wrapped in sentimentality at Christmas, was a real event when the Immortal God chose to wrap himself in the fragile face of a newborn child. Phil Ware continues his Christmas series, entitled "Give Me Jesus", focusing this week on the specific time, the then, of Jesus' coming.

What gift at Christmas can get you in the most trouble? Rick Brown reminds us about dangerous Christmas gifts for kids and the most dangerous Christmas gift of all, Jesus.

The cycle of violence is heartbreaking — will it ever end? Phil Ware reminds us of the simple, yet powerful words found in the hard story of Jesus' birth and Herod's attempt to murder him at Bethlehem -- But Herod came to an end.

Jesus' real-to-life circumstances, along with his dangerous predicaments caused by his divine reality, are comforting to me. Phil Ware reminds us that as we clean up from Christmas and New Year, the mess left after the holidays should remind us of the hard times Jesus and his family faced after his birth.

What goodness can be found in such awful things? Family fights, shopping mall stampedes, world unrest and wars all will continue through the Christmas season, but we should not be surprised: Jesus came to save our fractured world.

Now that the Christmas lights are put away, aren't you ready to meet the real Jesus? The coming of Christ is a violent grace that heads to a violent end and if we listen to the birth stories of Jesus we can find there a real Savior who lived in our all too real world.

12 days of Christmas are not about calling birds and lords a leaping, but about an extended celebration of Christmas. Phillip Morrison reminds us that the Magi, the Wise Men, came later on after Jesus was older; but rather than this putting a damper on our Christmas, we need to use this truth to extend our Christmas past the first of the year.

What do you do with your shattered dreams? Phil Ware talks about the recurring phrase in Matthew 1 and 2, in a dream, and how God fills the empty spaces left behind by our broken dreams.

Jesus entered a world we recognize as our own. He did it to redeem us from the messes we have brought on ourselves. Phil Ware reminds us that the grit and gore that surrounds Jesus' birth is there to help us know that he came to a world like our own to redeem it.

Am I more like the wise men who passionately sought to find Jesus or the religious leaders who chose their traditions, positions, and power over Jesus? Phil Ware reminds us that in the familiar story of the wise men is a challenging and life-changing question we must all answer with our choices and with our lives.