Matthew 2:13-15

13 When 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.’

14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where 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.’

 

Out of Egypt I called my son. Matthew 2:15

Recent winters have been impossibly tough around the world. Rising costs mean that the elderly, low-income families and lakhs of others are faced with the choice of heating their homes or putting food on the table.

In response, thousands of churches in the UK have joined The Warm Welcome Campaign, offering their buildings as “warm spaces” to anyone in need.

“In the Christmas story we remember that Jesus was born in a primitive shelter and then fled to Egypt as a refugee,” explains the campaign’s founder. “His active ministry was among the poorest people in society. Churches are living this story today by stepping up across the UK to serve people in need and provide a Warm Welcome.”

The campaign rooted itself in Jesus’ own experience of suffering and His love for those who suffer. Even during Jesus’ early years, God told Joseph, his earthly father, “‘Escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him’” (MATTHEW 2:13). It wasn’t until sometime later that Jesus could return to Israel, thereby fulfilling the prophecy: “Out of Egypt I called my son” (v. 15). It was an ancient revelation that, right from the start, Jesus would suffer.

The trials and deprivations in the Christmas story remind us that our Saviour knows what it is to be poor and in need. When we suffer similarly, we can be sure we will always receive a “warm welcome” from Him.

How does it help you to know Jesus truly understands suffering? How might you be able to offer His “warm welcome” to others this season?

Dear Jesus, when life is unbearably hard, it comforts me to know You truly understand. Thank You that I am always welcome to bring everything to You in prayer.