Safety

After the scholars were gone, God’s angel showed up again in Joseph’s dream and commanded, “Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him.”Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight.       Matthew 2:13-14

Two young parents were forced to flee with their young child. Leaving their home - a place that was no longer safe for them - they went on a long journey in order to seek refuge. It was not an easy journey, to be sure. 

I could easily be referring to the passage from Matthew about Joseph and Mary fleeing to Egypt in order to keep Jesus safe, but I'm not. I'm speaking of a nineteen year old mother, twenty-three year old father, and almost-two-year-old child who have left their war-torn home to seek safety in the United States. The New Start ministry will be working hard over the next twenty-six (and counting) days to prepare and provide housing, household items, clothing, food, and other necessities to the family. What a wonderful thing to be doing during this Advent and Christmas seasons!

God, as the New Start family prepares to journey to us, please help us to prepare the way for their transition to life in the United States. Please touch their hearts with peace and anticipation of good things to come and our hearts with generosity and joy in giving and doing. Thank you for the opportunity to use our time and talents for this good work.