As we enter a new year, the focus of a Christian’s resolutions often shifts from self-improvement to spiritual stewardship. Serving Jesus isn't just about "doing more"; it’s about aligning your heart with His mission.
Here are seven resolutions focused on service to Jesus for the coming year:
1. Prioritize "Being" Before "Doing"
Service that isn't fueled by a relationship with Christ quickly leads to burnout. Resolve to spend the first fruits of your day in prayer and scripture.
The Goal: To serve out of the overflow of your love for God, rather than out of duty or habit.
Scripture Focus: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit." (John 15:5)
2. Identify and Exercise Your Spiritual Gift
Every believer is given a unique gift for the building up of the Church. If you aren't sure what yours is (hospitality, teaching, encouragement, administration, etc.), make this the year you find out.
Action Step: Take a spiritual gifts assessment or ask a mentor what strengths they see in you, then find one specific ministry to apply it to.
3. Commit to "Hidden" Service
It is easy to serve when people are watching or when there is public recognition. This year, resolve to perform acts of service that no one sees but God.
The Goal: To cultivate humility and ensure your primary audience is the Lord.
Examples: Cleaning up after a church event without being asked, or sending anonymous financial help to someone in need.
4. Practice "The Ministry of Interruption"
Jesus often did His greatest work while on His way to do something else (like healing the woman with the issue of blood while traveling to Jairus’ house).
The Resolution: View unexpected interruptions—a phone call from a friend in crisis or a neighbor needing help—not as distractions, but as divine appointments scheduled by God.
5. Invest in One-on-One Discipleship
Service isn't just about tasks; it’s about people. Resolve to pour your life into someone else this year.
Action Step: If you are a mature believer, find a younger Christian to mentor. If you are new to the faith, find someone to learn from. Service is most effective when it is relational.
6. Practice Radical Hospitality
In a lonely world, opening your home is a powerful form of service. Resolve to use your living space as a tool for the Gospel.
The Goal: To host people—especially those who cannot "repay" you with a return invitation—to show them the warmth and welcome of Christ.
7. Align Your Finances with His Kingdom
Service involves how we manage the resources God has entrusted to us. Resolve to review your budget through the lens of eternity.
Action Step: Increase your percentage of giving or set aside a "mercy fund" specifically to help people you encounter throughout the week who are in immediate need.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." — Colossians 3:23
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Homiletical and Exegetical Dossier: The First Sunday After Christmas Day, December 28, 2025
1. The Temporal and Liturgical Threshold
The First Sunday after Christmas Day in the year of our Lord 2025 presents a homiletical and liturgical confluence of extraordinary complexity. Falling on December 28, this date is situated in the deepest valley of the "bleak midwinter," sandwiched between the ecstatic high of the Nativity and the secular, often raucous, anticipation of the New Year. In 2025, however, this Sunday is not merely a transition between holidays; it stands on the precipice of a monumental shift in both the sacred and secular calendars. It is the final Sunday before the commencement of the civil year 2026, a year burdened with immense historical weight—the 250th anniversary of the United States and the height of the Roman Catholic Jubilee Year of Hope.
To preach on December 28, 2025, is to stand at a threshold. The preacher must navigate the emotional exhaustion of a congregation recovering from Christmas festivities while simultaneously addressing the anxieties and hopes of a world teetering on the edge of significant change. The lectionary texts for Year A, particularly the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, provide the necessary theological ballast for this moment. They strip away the sentimental veneer of the holidays to reveal a God who is intimately acquainted with displacement, fear, and the precariousness of human political systems.
1.1 The Liturgical "Low Sunday"
In the rhythm of church life, the Sunday following Christmas is frequently termed a "Low Sunday." Attendance often dips as families travel or recover from the exertions of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The choir may be on break; the liturgy may be simplified. Yet, thematically, this Sunday is anything but "low." It confronts the church with the immediate, violent reaction of the world to the Incarnation. The "Prince of Peace" has arrived, and the immediate response of the political powers is assassination.
This juxtaposition is jarring but essential. On December 25, the church proclaims "Glory to God in the highest"; on December 28, the lectionary (often coinciding with the Feast of the Holy Innocents) forces the church to hear "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation". The preacher’s task is to hold these two realities together—the glory and the grief—demonstrating that the Incarnation is not an escape from human tragedy but God’s decisive entry into it.
1.2 The Convergence of Eras: Jubilee and Semiquincentennial
The specific date of December 28, 2025, gains added weight from two global events that frame the consciousness of the congregation.
First, the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025, proclaimed by Pope Francis, will have just begun with the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica on December 24, 2024. The theme, "Pilgrims of Hope" (Peregrinantes in Spem), permeates the ecclesiastical atmosphere. This Jubilee is not merely a Catholic observance but an ecumenical invitation to recover the biblical practice of "resetting" our spiritual and social economic lives. The concept of "pilgrimage"—moving through the world with purpose and hope rather than aimless wandering—resonates profoundly with the Gospel reading of the Holy Family’s flight.
Second, the United States Semiquincentennial (America250) is set to launch its kickoff festivities just three days after this sermon is delivered, on New Year's Eve 2025. As the nation prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence, the church reads texts about a King (Jesus) whose kingdom is not of this world and a ruler (Herod) whose desperate clinging to power leads to atrocity. The tension between nationalistic celebration and the critique of empire inherent in Matthew 2 offers a rich, albeit delicate, field for homiletical exploration.
2. Exegetical Analysis: The Gospel Pericope (Matthew 2:13-23)
The Gospel reading for the First Sunday after Christmas in Year A is Matthew 2:13-23. This text, comprising the Flight to Egypt, the Massacre of the Innocents (often elided in reading but present in context), and the Return to Nazareth, serves as the narrative bridge between the birth of Jesus and his public ministry. It is a text of movement, geography, and the fulfillment of scripture.
2.1 The Narrative Structure: The Dreamer and the Divine Initiative
The pericope is structured rigidly around divine interventions mediated through dreams. Joseph, the protagonist of these verses, is portrayed as the receptive agent of divine will. His responsiveness is immediate and unquestioning, establishing a model of discipleship characterized by obedience in the face of danger.
The Grammar of Flight: The Greek verb used for "flee" (pheuge) in verse 13 is imperative and urgent. The instruction is to "take" (paralabe) the child and his mother. Notably, the child is always mentioned first in these pairings ("the child and his mother"), emphasizing the Christocentric focus of the narrative. Joseph is the guardian, but the Child is the center of gravity.
The phrase "by night" (nuktos) in verse 14 adds a layer of clandestine urgency. In the ancient world, travel by night was perilous, fraught with dangers from bandits and wild animals. That Joseph moves immediately, under the cover of darkness, underscores the imminent threat posed by the state machinery of Herod.
2.2 Historical Context: The Herodian Terror
To understand the Flight, one must understand the pursuer. Herod the Great (73–4 BC) was a client king of Rome, renowned for his architectural prowess (the expansion of the Second Temple, Masada, Herodium) but equally infamous for his paranoia and brutality.
The Psychology of the Tyrant: Herod’s reign was marked by a sequence of domestic atrocities driven by the fear of usurpation. He executed his beloved wife, Mariamne I, her mother Alexandra, and three of his own sons (Alexander, Aristobulus, and Antipater). The Emperor Augustus reportedly quipped that it was better to be Herod’s pig (hus) than his son (huios), as the kosher-observant king would spare the pig but kill the son.
Archelaus (v. 22): The text mentions that upon returning, Joseph was afraid to go to Judea because Archelaus was ruling. This historical detail is precise. Upon Herod’s death in 4 BC, his kingdom was divided among his sons. Archelaus received Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. His rule was so tyrannical and incompetent that a delegation of Jews and Samaritans eventually petitioned Augustus to remove him. He was deposed in 6 AD and banished to Vienne in Gaul. Joseph’s decision to bypass Judea for Galilee (ruled by Herod Antipas, a slightly more stable, though still fox-like, ruler) demonstrates political acumen guided by divine warning.
2.3 Historical Geography: The Route to Refuge
The command to "flee to Egypt" was not a vague instruction; it invoked a specific geographical and cultural reality.
Why Egypt? Egypt was the logical asylum for anyone fleeing tyranny in Palestine. It was outside Herod’s jurisdiction but still within the Roman Empire, meaning border crossing was feasible. Moreover, Egypt hosted a massive Jewish diaspora. First-century Alexandria had a Jewish population estimated in the hundreds of thousands, with its own synagogues, governance, and quarters. For Joseph, Egypt offered not just safety from Herod, but a community that could provide support and employment.
The Via Maris: The journey from Bethlehem to the borders of Egypt would have likely followed the Via Maris ("Way of the Sea"). This ancient trunk road connected the Nile Delta with the Fertile Crescent.
The Route: Descending from the Judean hill country (Bethlehem) to the coastal plain (Philistia), the family would have joined the trade route near Gaza. From there, the road traverses the northern Sinai coast—a desolate stretch known as the "Way of Horus" to the Egyptians.
The Distance: The distance from Bethlehem to the Egyptian border (the Wadi el-Arish or the Pelusiac branch of the Nile) is approximately 150-200 miles, but reaching a settlement like Alexandria or Babylon (Old Cairo) would require a journey of 300-400 miles.
The Conditions: Traveling with a donkey and an infant, covering 15-20 miles a day, the journey would have taken at least two to three weeks. The terrain of northern Sinai is arid, requiring knowledge of wells and waystations. The narrative’s brevity ("he went to Egypt") belies the physical grueling nature of this trek—a true pilgrimage of survival.
The Irony of the Destination: Theologically, the flight to Egypt is rich in irony. In the Old Testament, Egypt is the "house of bondage" (Mitzrayim), the place from which God delivers his people. Here, Egypt becomes the place of salvation and refuge. The "Promised Land" (Israel under Herod) has become the place of death, and the "House of Bondage" has become the sanctuary. This reversal suggests that sacred geography is relative to God’s presence; where the Child is, there is the Promised Land, even if it is geographically Egypt.
2.4 Typology and Prophetic Fulfillment
Matthew is writing to a Jewish-Christian audience, keen to demonstrate that Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel’s story. The flight allows Matthew to present Jesus as the "New Moses" and the "True Israel."
Hosea 11:1 ("Out of Egypt I have called my son"): In its original context, Hosea 11:1 is not a prediction of the future but a recollection of the past: "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." It refers to the Exodus.
Matthean Hermeneutics: Matthew employs typological exegesis. He sees a correspondence between the history of the nation (Israel) and the history of the Messiah (Jesus). Where Israel, God’s "firstborn son" (Exodus 4:22), was called out of Egypt but subsequently failed in obedience (grumbling in the wilderness), Jesus is called out of Egypt and succeeds in obedience. He recapitulates Israel’s history, redeeming it from within.
Jeremiah 31:15 ("A voice was heard in Ramah"): This citation refers to the weeping of Rachel, the matriarch, for her children being taken into exile in Babylon. Ramah was a transit point for deportees.
The Sound of Grief: By citing this, Matthew validates the grief of the mothers of Bethlehem. The coming of the Messiah does not immediately erase suffering; instead, the Scripture gives voice to it. However, the context of Jeremiah 31 is ultimately hopeful—it is followed by the promise of the New Covenant. The weeping is real, but it is not the final word.
The Nazorean (v. 23): The final citation, "He will be called a Nazorean," introduces a philological puzzle, as no such text exists verbatim in the OT.
Theory 1: The Branch (Netzer): Isaiah 11:1 predicts a shoot will come from the stump of Jesse, and a branch (netzer) from his roots. The phonetic similarity between Netzer and Nazareth (which likely shares the root meaning "watchtower" or "shoot") suggests Jesus is the Davidic Branch.
Theory 2: The Nazirite (Nazir): Samson and Samuel were Nazirites (consecrated ones). While Jesus was not a Nazirite (he drank wine), he was the ultimate "Holy One of God."
The Theology of Obscurity: Nazareth was a hamlet of insignificant repute (John 1:46). By settling there, Jesus is identified with the lowly and the marginalized. The "King of the Jews" grows up not in a palace, but in a hill-town backwater.
3. The Prophetic Counterpoint: Isaiah 63:7-9
The Old Testament reading from Isaiah 63 provides the theological undergirding for the Flight to Egypt narrative. It is a passage of "communal lament" that pivots on the memory of God’s hesed (steadfast love).
3.1 Textual Criticism: The "Angel of His Presence"
Verse 9 contains a critical textual variant that dramatically alters the translation and theological implication.
The Kethib (Written Text): The Hebrew Masoretic text reads b'kol tzaratan lo tzar, literally "In all their distress, he was not [lo with aleph] an adversary/distress." This implies God was distinct from their suffering.
The Qere (Read Text) / LXX: The marginal reading and the Septuagint tradition read "In all their distress, he was indeed [lo with vav] distressed/afflicted."
The Interpretation: Most modern translations (NRSV, NIV) follow the Qere/LXX, rendering it: "In all their distress, he too was distressed." This presents a God of profound pathos, who suffers alongside His people.
The phrase "The angel of his presence saved them" (mal'ak panav) is unique. Literally, it means "The angel of his face." In Exodus 33, Moses asks for God’s presence (panim) to go with them. Here, Isaiah affirms that it was not a subordinate messenger or an intermediary who saved Israel, but God’s own "Face"—His personal, unmediated presence.
Connection to Christmas: This anti-intermediary theology aligns with the Incarnation. In Jesus, God does not send a prophet or an angel; He sends His own "Face," the express image of His person (Hebrews 1:3). In the Flight to Egypt, Joseph is guided by angels, but the family is saved by the Presence—the child Jesus himself, who is "God with us".
3.2 The Memory of Mercy
The passage opens with "I will recount the gracious deeds of the LORD" (v. 7). The word for "gracious deeds" is hesed (plural hasidim), referring to God’s covenant loyalty. The prophet recounts the Exodus history ("he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old") as the basis for appealing for help in the present. For the preacher, this establishes a pattern: in times of current distress (like the Flight, or modern crises), the community survives by "remembering" God’s past faithfulness. The Flight to Egypt is a new chapter in the old story of God carrying His people through the wilderness.
4. The Epistolary Witness: Hebrews 2:10-18
The reading from Hebrews provides the soteriological rationale for the suffering and displacement seen in Matthew 2. It explains why the Messiah had to share in such human fragility.
4.1 The Pioneer of Salvation (Archegos)
Verse 10 describes Jesus as the "pioneer" (archegos) of salvation, made perfect through sufferings. The term archegos can mean "founder," "captain," or "trailblazer." It implies one who goes first to open a path for others.
Contextual Application: In fleeing to Egypt, Jesus "blazes a trail" through the experience of the refugee. He sanctifies the path of displacement. He is not a Savior who pulls people out of the swamp from a helicopter; he is the guide who wades into the swamp to lead them out.
4.2 Flesh, Blood, and the Defeat of Fear
Hebrews 2:14-15 articulates a robust theory of the atonement (Christus Victor). Since the children share flesh and blood, he himself shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death (the devil) and free those held in slavery by the fear of death.
The Psychology of Herod: Herod is the prime example of one enslaved by the "fear of death." His paranoia, his execution of his family, and the massacre at Bethlehem are all symptoms of a man terrified of losing his life and power. Herod is a slave to the devil’s primary weapon.
The Freedom of the Son: In contrast, Jesus (and by extension, the faithful Joseph) operates not out of fear, but out of obedience to the Father. The Incarnation breaks the power of the fear of death because God has entered into mortality. If God has been a vulnerable baby fleeing a tyrant, then vulnerability is no longer a sign of God's absence, but the locus of His saving power.
5. The Jubilee Context: Pilgrims of Hope (2025-2026)
The year 2025 is designated by the Roman Catholic Church as a Jubilee Year, a tradition with deep biblical roots and significant ecumenical implications. The sermon for December 28, 2025, occurs just days after the ceremonial opening of this year, making "Hope" a dominant hermeneutical key.
5.1 The Biblical Jubilee (Yovel)
The concept of Jubilee originates in Leviticus 25. Occurring every 50th year (after seven weeks of years), it was a socio-economic "reset" button for Israel.
Liberation: Slaves were freed.
Restoration: Ancestral land sold due to poverty was returned to the original family.
Rest: The land lay fallow. The Jubilee was a reminder that the land belonged to God and that the people were merely "strangers and sojourners" with Him (Lev 25:23). It prevented the permanent stratification of society into rich and poor.
5.2 The 2025 Jubilee: Spes Non Confundit
Pope Francis’s Bull of Indiction, Spes non confundit ("Hope does not disappoint," Rom 5:5), sets the tone for the 2025 celebration.
Theme: "Pilgrims of Hope": The Bull reclaims the metaphor of the pilgrim. In a culture of immediacy and tourism, a pilgrim is one who journeys with intention, often through difficulty, toward a sacred destination.
The Holy Door: The opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s (Dec 24, 2024) symbolizes the opening of a pathway to grace. For the preacher, the "Door" can be contrasted with the "Border." While Herod (and modern states) close borders and build walls to keep people out, the Jubilee opens doors to let people in.
Integration with Matthew 2: The Holy Family are the archetypal "Pilgrims of Hope." Their journey to Egypt was a forced pilgrimage. They carried the "Hope of the World" in their arms. The Jubilee invites the church to see every refugee family as a mirror of the Holy Family, and to treat the relief of their suffering as a Jubilee act.
6. The Civil and Scientific Horizon: The Threshold of 2026
The sermon must also address the specific cultural moment of late 2025. Two major horizons loom large: the Semiquincentennial of the United States and the scientific frontier of the Artemis missions.
6.1 America250: The Semiquincentennial
On New Year's Eve 2025, just three days after this Sunday, the United States will begin the official kickoff for its 250th anniversary (1776–2026).
The Event: A "Second Ball Drop" is scheduled for Times Square. After the traditional midnight drop to mark 2026, the ball will rise again and re-descend to mark the start of the Semiquincentennial year, accompanied by 2,000 pounds of red, white, and blue confetti and a pyrotechnic display set to "America the Beautiful".
6.2 The Artemis II Mission: Hope in the Heavens
By late 2025, the world will be anticipating the launch of Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the moon since 1972.
The Crew: The mission will carry four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—on a lunar flyby.
The Delay: Originally scheduled for earlier, the mission faced delays due to issues with the Orion capsule’s heat shield. This technical detail serves as a potent illustration: even the most advanced technology is vulnerable to the "heat" of reentry.
The Metaphor: The "Flight of Artemis" (vertical, technological, triumphant) contrasts with the "Flight to Egypt" (horizontal, desperate, humble). Yet both are journeys into the unknown. The astronauts are "pilgrims of science"; the Holy Family are "pilgrims of salvation." The preacher can use this to illustrate that while humanity reaches for the stars, God reaches for the refugee in the desert. Both are valid forms of hope, but one saves the soul.
6.3 Global Displacement and the "Voice in Ramah"
As of late 2025, the global refugee crisis remains acute. Conflict zones (whether in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, or the Global South) continue to generate millions of displaced persons.
The Relevance: When the Gospel speaks of "Rachel weeping for her children," it is not a historical artifact. It is the sound of the news cycle. The "Massacre of the Innocents" happens whenever collateral damage is accepted as the price of political security. The preacher must name this reality to be faithful to the text.
7. Homiletical Trajectories: Three Sermon Outlines
Based on the exhaustive research above, three distinct sermon paths are proposed. Each engages the text and the context but with a different emphasis.
Option 1: The Narrative Sermon – "The Dreamer and the Tyrant"
Focus: The dramatic contrast between the power of Herod and the power of God. Tone: Tense, storytelling, resolving into comfort.
Introduction (The Post-Christmas Crash): Describe the scene on Dec 28. The lights are dimming, the tree is drying out. The "magic" fades. Into this void comes the news: The King is fleeing.
Scene 1: The Insomnia of Empire. Focus on Herod. Describe his palace, his paranoia. He cannot sleep because he is afraid of a child. This is the nature of worldly power—it is always anxious. Connect to modern anxieties (personal and political). Herod represents the "Fear of Death" (Heb 2:15).
Scene 2: The Sleep of the Just. Focus on Joseph. He sleeps. He dreams. In the Bible, sleep is an act of trust (Psalm 127). Because he trusts, he can hear the angel. He doesn't have a map, but he has a Word.
Scene 3: The Night Journey. Describe the Via Maris. The cold desert night. The sounds of the Roman patrols. The "Flight" is not a magical teleportation; it is a grueling trek. This is where God is found—on the road, in the dark, with the vulnerable.
Conclusion: 2026 is coming. We don't know what "Herods" (challenges) await. But we have the same resource as Joseph: the capacity to listen to God and the willingness to move. We don't need a map of the whole year; we just need the next instruction. "Get up, take the child... and go."
Option 2: The Theological Sermon – "Pilgrims of Hope in the Year of Jubilee"
Focus: The Jubilee theme and the definition of Christian hope. Tone: Inspirational, didactic, missional.
Introduction (The Holy Door): Reference Pope Francis opening the Holy Door. The theme "Pilgrims of Hope." Contrast the grandeur of St. Peter's with the poverty of the Flight to Egypt.
Point 1: Hope is a Verb. The Holy Family didn't sit in Bethlehem "hoping" Herod wouldn't kill them. They moved. Hope is pilgrimage. It is active obedience. In the Jubilee, we are called to move—toward reconciliation, toward the poor.
Point 2: The God Who Bleeds. Discuss Isaiah 63:9 ("In all their distress, he was distressed"). The "Angel of the Presence." God is not an observer of the refugee crisis; He is a participant. The Holy Family embodies God’s solidarity with the displaced.
Point 3: The Jubilee Reset. 2025/2026 is a time to cancel debts. Not just financial, but emotional. Who do you need to forgive? What "Herod" (grudge) is chasing you? The Jubilee offers a "Flight" away from the slavery of resentment into the freedom of forgiveness.
Conclusion: As the "Second Ball" drops in Times Square for America250, let us drop our burdens. Let us walk into 2026 as Pilgrims of Hope, carrying the Christ-child into the "Egypts" of our world (the places that need light).
Option 3: The Pastoral Sermon – "Starting Over in Nazareth"
Focus: New Beginnings, fear of the future, and God’s guidance in transition. Tone: Empathetic, practical, encouraging.
Introduction: The New Year Resolutions. We all want a "fresh start" in 2026. But sometimes, fresh starts are forced upon us by tragedy or crisis (like the Flight).
Point 1: When You Can’t Go Home Again. Joseph wanted to return to Judea (the familiar). But Archelaus was there. He had to pivot to Galilee (the unknown). Sometimes God closes the door to the past to force us into the future.
Point 2: The Dignity of the Detour. Nazareth was a "nowhere" town. "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Yet, this became Jesus' name ("The Nazorean"). God does his best work in the "Plan B" of our lives. Do not despise your "Nazareth"—your small, quiet, obscure beginning in 2026.
Point 3: The Protection of the Dream. God warned Joseph in a dream. Guidance requires quiet. In a noisy world (confetti, fireworks, news), we need silence to hear the "warning" and the "invitation" of God.
Conclusion: Fear Not. The command "Fear not" is implicit in the angel’s presence. As we cross the threshold into 2026, we leave behind the Herods of fear and dwell in the Nazareth of God’s daily grace.
8. Liturgical and Artistic Resources
To support the sermon, the following resources are curated from the research material, tailored for the specific themes of this Sunday.
8.1 Hymnody
"The Savior, of the Virgin Born" (Tune: Canonbury or Rex Gloriae): This hymn, written by Benjamin Beddome (1818), is one of the few that explicitly narrates the Flight to Egypt.
Verse 2: "His life the tyrant Herod sought, / And every subtle art did try; / To worship Him he made pretense, / That he the Infant might destroy."
Usage: This serves as a perfect "sermon hymn" to follow the reading of Matthew 2.
"Coventry Carol": A 16th-century carol from the Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors. It is a lament sung by the mothers of the Innocents.
Effect: Sung a cappella, it captures the "Voice in Ramah" (Jer 31:15), providing a somber counter-weight to the joyful carols of the previous week.
8.2 Poetry for Reading or Projection
"Refugee" by Malcolm Guite
"We think of him as safe beneath the steeple, Or cosy in a crib beside the font, But he is with a million displaced people On the long road of weariness and want. For even as we sing our final carol His family is up and on that road, Fleeing the wrath of someone else's quarrel, Glancing behind and shouldering their load. Whilst Herod rages still from his dark tower Christ clings to Mary, fingers tightly curled, The lambs are slaughtered by the men of power, And death squads spread their curse across the world. But every Herod dies, and comes alone To stand before the Lamb upon the throne."
Homiletical Note: The final couplet ("But every Herod dies...") is a powerful theological assertion of the limit of evil. It fits perfectly with the sermon theme of the "Death of the Tyrant" vs. the "Life of the Son."
8.3 Prayers and Collects
Collect for the First Sunday after Christmas (Anglican/Common Worship adapted):
Almighty God, who wonderfully created us in your image and yet more wonderfully restored us through your Son Jesus Christ: Grant that, as he came to share in our humanity, so we may share the life of his divinity; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Prayer for the Jubilee Year (Adapted from Spes non confundit):
Father in heaven, May the faith you have given us in your Son, Jesus Christ, and the flame of charity enkindled by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom. As we stand on the threshold of this Jubilee, transform us into Pilgrims of Hope. May we walk alongside the refugee, the outcast, and the fearful, opening doors of mercy in a world of walls. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Intercession for the Semiquincentennial Eve:
Lord of the Nations, As we prepare to mark the passing of years and the anniversaries of nations, Remind us that your Kingdom has no end. We pray for this land, that it may truly be a haven for the oppressed and a beacon of liberty. Save us from the idols of power, and help us to seek that "City that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Amen.
9. Data Tables and Comparative Analysis
9.1 The Typology of Deliverance: Moses vs. Jesus
Matthew’s narrative is designed to show Jesus as the "New Moses." This table can be used in sermon preparation or as a handout insert.
9.2 The Timeline of the Threshold (Dec 2025 – Jan 2026)
This timeline helps the preacher contextualize the sermon within the immediate lived experience of the congregation.
10. Conclusion and Preaching Strategy
The First Sunday after Christmas Day 2025 is a homiletical gift, albeit a heavy one. It provides the preacher with a unique opportunity to define the nature of the Christian life for the coming year.
The strategy should be one of "Realistic Hope."
Acknowledge the Reality: Do not shy away from the darkness of the text (Herod, refugees, fear). This connects with the exhausted post-Christmas feelings and the global anxieties of 2025.
Center on the Child: The hero of the story is God-in-Christ, preserved by the Father for the salvation of the world. Joseph is the model disciple, but Jesus is the Savior.
Deploy the Context: Use the Jubilee "Pilgrims of Hope" theme as the primary application. Use the America250 "Second Ball Drop" as a vivid illustration of how the world tries to manufacture hope/celebration, contrasted with the quiet, enduring hope of the Gospel.
By weaving the ancient narrative of the Via Maris with the modern narrative of the refugee crisis, and the prophetic hope of Isaiah with the Jubilee hope of 2026, the preacher can deliver a message that is not merely a postscript to Christmas, but a prologue to a year of faithful pilgrimage.
The Massacre (v. 16): While the lectionary reading often focuses on the escape, the context is the slaughter of the nhpioi (infants/toddlers) in Bethlehem. Herod’s order to kill all male children "two years old or under" reflects the timeline he ascertained from the Magi. This act, while not recorded in secular history (likely because the number of children in a small village like Bethlehem would have been relatively few, perhaps 10-20, a minor atrocity in a bloody reign), fits perfectly with his known character profile.
Specific Appeals: The Bull calls for hope to be tangible. It explicitly mentions the need for hope for refugees and migrants, urging that their expectations not be frustrated by prejudice or indifference. It links the Jubilee to the care of creation and the forgiveness of international debt, echoing the Levitical roots.
The Narrative: The organizers (America250) aim to "inspire all 350 million Americans" to celebrate the "American Story." The themes are liberty, independence, and democratic resilience.
The Tension: For the preacher, this creates a tension between the "Kingdom of America" and the "Kingdom of God." Herod represented the "Kingdom of the State"—concerned with borders, power, and legacy. Jesus represents a Kingdom that transcends borders. The "Independence" celebrated by the nation stands in contrast to the "Dependence" exhibited by the Holy Family—dependence on God’s guidance and the hospitality of strangers.
Homiletical Strategy: The preacher should not be anti-patriotic but strictly theological. True liberty (the goal of 1776) is found ultimately in the freedom from fear (Hebrews 2:15). The church can celebrate the nation’s ideals while critiquing its failures to welcome the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free," a direct parallel to the Holy Family’s plight.
"Refugee" (Steve Bell / Malcolm Guite): A contemporary ballad based on Guite's sonnet.
Lyrics: "We think of him as safe beneath the steeple... But he is with a million displaced people / On the long road of weariness and want."
Usage: Ideal for a soloist during the Offertory or Communion, grounding the ancient text in modern reality.
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