After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. 

"Get up! 

Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother," the angel said. 

"Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herods death.

Matthew 2:13-15 NLT

This is as much a part of the Christmas story as the gifts, the shepherds, no room in the inn. 

Joseph has another disturbed sleep and does not hesitate to follow the angel's instruction.

He packs up his little family and runs. 

They're now refugees. 

Perhaps they could only have run because of the gold that had been gifted. 

What would've happened if they hadn't run that night? 

Would Evil have won?

It's no wonder the people were looking for, hoping for, waiting for, a saviour, a Messiah, to rescue them from the world in which they lived. 

But that night, the saviour of the world was wrapped up and being smuggled into Egypt.

There's times in our lives where we need shelter from aspects of the world, distance from those who would cause harm, oppression.

Maybe that looks like a holiday, a retreat, reducing contact, firming up boundaries with people, places, the inputs into our lives. 

Joseph had an angel visit to tell him what to do, and sometimes that would be helpful!

What would an angel tell me to run from today?

#christmas2023 

#angelvoices