God With Us

Well, let me just extend the warm welcome that you've had from JT and Stuart again this morning.

And I hope that everyone has been able to enjoy whatever your plans were for this week.

When you come through the door on a Sunday morning like this, people say, how was your Christmas?

And I think the answer for most of us is the same, busy.

And certainly when you have a small child, then it becomes even busier.

But it's good for us to be together again.

And I just, as I said, I just want to extend that warm welcome.

It's good to see some visitors with us.

And it's good to see, which is interesting because it slightly ties into what we're going to be thinking about this morning.

It's good to see even families that are represented here who are visiting family and loved ones that are not able to be with us.

But it is good to see you here this morning.

And we think about some family members that are dear friends and good church members here in Brunsfield

and not able to be with us through a number of different circumstances.

And we pray for them regularly.

And hopefully, what I'm about to say in our section in Matthew chapter 2, hopefully it just resonates with us.

Matthew 2 · chapter mention

Now, let me read the passage and then I'll pray and then we'll get into some of the detail.

And it's found in Matthew chapter 2.

Matthew 2 · chapter mention

We've been in Matthew for a couple of weeks.

And we've transitioned between the Christmas story into what we were thinking about last week,

which again was still within the Christmas story where those magi, these wise men came.

And Ian took us through the first 12 verses.

We're going to break in at verse 13 and we're going to read to the end of the chapter.

Matthew chapter 2, verse 13.

Matthew 2:13

When they had gone, that is the wise man, the magi that we were just referencing there,

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.

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,

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.

When Herod realised that he had been outwitted by the magi,

he was furious and gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity,

who were two years and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the magi.

That what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled.

A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning.

Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because they are no more.

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said,

Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel,

for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead.

So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.

But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod,

he was afraid to go there.

Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee.

And he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.

So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets that he would be called a Nazarene.

I'm sure that God will add his blessing to the reading of his word.

Now let's just commit our time and the next few minutes to God for his blessing.

Our Father, we come before you again this morning.

And as we approach this passage, in all of its complexity and difficulty,

our Father, we just, we ask that as we consider the early part of our Lord's life,

our Father, that you'd speak to us in the circumstances in which we find him.

Our Father, we just commit ourselves to you this morning.

We know that you know all of our needs.

Our Father, we know that you're able to fulfill far more abundantly than all that we can think or ask.

Our Father, you know each and every situation that finds itself before you this morning.

The weeks that we've had, the preparation of our hearts for this morning.

Our Father, we just pray that you would speak and that your voice may be heard.

That we might understand who you are.

Your great purpose in sending your son into this world.

And our Father, we just pray that as we listen to your voice, our Father,

that we might be ready to respond to it.

And so, our Father, we just ask that you be with us this morning as we consider your word.

For we ask these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

So, over the last few weeks, for anybody who hasn't been here, up to the run-up to Christmas,

we were doing a little series called God With Us.

And I haven't given my message this morning a title,

but I think we could probably not end with God With Us,

because you're going to find that that doesn't end.

But I would just like to reuse our little title this morning, God With Us.

You might not have noticed that in the passage as we had started.

But most nativity scenes stop at these words that we've thought about peace and angels and joy.

But yet, when we come to Matthew's gospel, that's not what Matthew writes,

or it's not what Matthew finishes on.

Matthew tells us that almost immediately after Jesus was born,

that he is forced, his family is forced to run for their lives.

There's no silent night.

There's no soft lighting.

There's no calm.

Instead, there's a fear of, there's a sense of fear.

There's urgency.

And we find danger.

Which is an interesting segue into our passage this morning,

because there will be those today who are not feeling peaceful at all.

We think of these nice, warm, fuzzy words at Christmastime,

but actually there will be those who have come and gathered this morning who are not peaceful.

Everything is not calm and bright.

Some of us will be worried about our safety,

and not necessarily physical safety,

even though some of us might be worried about that,

as we look around at the world,

and what's going on in the world,

and what's going on in our land, etc.

Some of us might be anxious about the future.

Some might be grieving things that we did not choose.

And some people might even feel displaced.

That might be physical.

But I think for many of us, it might be more emotional.

It might even be spiritual.

Spiritually that we feel displaced.

When we come to Matthew 2,

it reminds us of this truth that we had in that title that I just mentioned,

God with us.

And as we look through these 10 verses,

and there's so many different ways that we could have looked at these 10 verses this morning,

but as we look at these 10 verses from verse 13 to 23,

I want us just to be reminded of that truth that God is with us.

We kind of think of it on the lead up to Christmas, don't we?

And then as soon as it's Christmas done,

then sometimes we forget all about it.

And that's what I want to focus on this morning.

I mean, you may have come to this passage,

and there's some great historical narrative within here.

And as I was preparing for it, I did think to myself,

let's get into the history.

But there's people here that are far more clued up about that period in history than I am.

And I'm sure that they would come and maybe correct me afterwards.

So let's not necessarily just focus on the historical element of this passage.

We might have also just focused on prophecy being fulfilled,

and we will think about that slightly this morning,

because there's a number of prophecies that Matthew records for us in here,

and we will think about them.

But it brings us to our series, which we'll take into the new year,

which is Kingdom Come.

And it is very much establishing.

And what Matthew does in his first couple of chapters is he establishes that Christ is King,

that the Messiah is that Jesus is the Messiah,

that he is the King.

It takes us through in chapter one that we thought about his lineage.

It takes us through how he's come into this world.

It takes us through all of his credentials.

And Matthew is really setting out his stall in his book, in his gospel, that Christ is King.

But God with us was a little title of our series.

And God is with his people, even when life becomes a bit unstable,

when it becomes unfair or when it becomes unsafe.

And before we get into our passage in great detail,

let me just embellish what I was talking about there

in terms of what Matthew is setting out to do

and the kind of context of our chapter that we're in.

Chapter two demonstrates the birth of Jesus Christ,

that it wasn't an accident of history or in history,

but it was under divine and precise fulfillment of prophecy.

It was unfolding.

The narrative that we have in chapter two is unfolding under God's sovereign hand.

The scene that we are looking at this morning was set during the reign of Herod the Great.

And there are other Herods, but we mark this one as Herod the Great.

And even though he did great things, he was great things.

He was a ruthless leader installed by Rome,

whose insecurities exposes the contrast between his temporary earthly power and heaven's true king.

Last week we thought about the wise men coming

and these magi that arrived from the east.

The east reveals Christ's kingship was recognized far beyond Israel.

Maybe that's a glimpse into the plan that will be revealed in Christ to us.

These wise men were guided by a star, as we thought about last week,

and they come seeking the one who is born king of the Jews.

That is an echo of what we read about in Numbers chapter 24.

Numbers 24 · chapter mention

And as I say, we're not going to focus specifically on the prophecies

and the historical context of them and how they are fulfilled within Jesus,

but that is one of the echoes that we see from the Old Testament.

But Herod's response is fear.

It's not worship, as Ian reminded us last week.

And Jerusalem shares in that disturbance.

It's a telling indication of their spiritual blindness.

And even though that we're going to point the finger at Israel today,

some of what I'm going to say I hope lands with us.

You know, when questioned, as we have thought about last week,

when he summoned those, when questioned, the Jewish leaders and the scribes,

they correctly identified that Micah chapter 5 affirms or prophesies

Micah 5 · chapter mention

that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem.

But there is one point that I just want to maybe mention this morning,

and it is this.

Knowledge of Scripture does not guarantee obedience to it.

You'll see a point that we might come on to later.

These wise men, sorry, these scribes and the priests that were summoned by Herod,

they knew exactly what the Scripture said,

but they were unwilling to be obedient to it.

And as the Magi then come and they worship,

Herod plots this atrocity, this murder,

this slaughter of Bethlehem's children.

And that also fulfills a prophecy that we read about in Jeremiah chapter 31,

Jeremiah 31 · chapter mention

portraying Israel's long history of sorrow under corrupt leadership.

Then, as we come into our section this morning,

we see that God intervenes through direct revelation,

and he sends Joseph into Egypt.

And again, Matthew tells us here that this is a fulfillment of prophecy,

and it takes us back to Hosea chapter 11.

Hosea 11 · chapter mention

And through originally, though that is originally referring to Israel,

it shows that Jesus is the true Son who perfectly embodies Israel's calling.

Often what we read about in the Old Testament that is written about Israel,

or written to Israel, we see that it is fulfilled in Christ.

And that is one of, that is, I think, a purposeful tact that Matthew takes

as he's writing his gospel here,

and really establishing who the Messiah is.

And then upon returning to Israel,

the family settles in Nazareth,

fulfilling what the prophets spoke collectively.

And even though there's no direct quote for this one,

that he would be called a Nazarene,

but I think it's maybe a colloquial term that Matthew is picking up,

that the Messiah would come, he would be humble,

he would be despised, as we think about in Isaiah 53,

and that it was unexpected.

And I think that's what is referred to as when he talks about

that the prophets said that he would be called a Nazarene.

So Matthew chapter 2 teaches us that prophecy is not merely in words,

Matthew 2 · chapter mention

but it is in, or only in a spiritual sense,

as some people would maybe lead us to believe.

But Matthew has shown us that prophecy is fulfilled

in literal, physical history.

And some of the predictions,

the prophetic predictions for the future,

will come to pass, and they will also come to pass.

Some of them will be spiritual,

but they will be literal and physical fulfillment

of some of the promises that have not yet been fulfilled.

Some of those are through suffering and obedience,

but they demonstrate God's unassailable purpose.

And that's what we want to think about this morning.

I want to look at this passage in a slightly different way,

as I've mentioned,

but I want, even just slightly different to my normal style,

I want to pick up one or two themes

that lie just beneath the context

of the casual reading that you would normally come across

if you were just to read this passage.

First of all, you'll see that I've got four simple points

that I want us to think about this morning.

And the first one is this, God's guidance.

We read this in chapter, in verse 13,

an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream

and said, get up,

take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt.

You know, Joseph doesn't receive this message

in some kind of quiet, prayerful retreat.

Sometimes that we think we have to be closed in

and God will speak to us.

No, actually, he received this

in what looks like a moment of crisis,

even though Joseph might not have understood it at the time.

But regardless of that, God speaks clearly.

And his instruction is direct.

He says this, get up, take the child and flee to Egypt.

There's no explanation of how long that will be.

There's no promise of ease.

It's just obedience.

We see here that Joseph doesn't argue.

He doesn't delay.

In fact, it actually says,

and I may be stretching it,

but I think it's in the passage here,

it says he obeyed.

Well, I'm saying that he obeyed that night

because it says here,

and he arose and took the child and his mother by night.

Instant obedience.

You know, many of us want spiritual clarity

in our lives without disruption.

We want God's guidance

as long as it fits our timeline,

as long as it fits our comfort,

as long as it fits our finances.

But under God's guidance,

we see that that's not the case.

Sometimes God's guidance changes our plans.

It interrupts our stable situations.

It maybe asks us to go when we'd rather stay.

And some of us might be here right now

as we finish 2025

and as we contemplate a new year,

we might think about this

in terms of our employment

or our relationships

or a calling that is making us nervous

or a conviction that we can't ignore.

But I just want to pause for a little second

and say this,

that faith

is not just believing that God speaks

or that God speaks to us.

Faith is obeying when he does.

You see that in Joseph's life.

Obedience or obeying

is a word that we don't,

in fact,

mostly we don't like to hear that word at all.

It kind of irks us a little bit.

Most of us don't like to obey.

I've got a 20-month-old son

and it's quite evident

that he often doesn't like to obey.

And as much as we sometimes

try and discipline ourselves,

I think that irks us

all the way through our lives.

We don't like that word obedience

and we don't like to obey.

But notice carefully

that Joseph obeys perfectly.

And in that perfect obedience,

unfortunately,

he still becomes a refugee.

We're not going to necessarily,

as I say,

think about the kind of historical narrative,

but there's many, many Jews

at that time

around that period

that we are thinking about

of where Herod was reigning.

There's many Jews

that escaped

for refuge in Egypt.

But following God

does not guarantee us safety.

It doesn't guarantee us comfort.

It doesn't guarantee us

predictability

or earthly prosperity.

That's something else

that you will find

from people

who teach

a false gospel.

That if you follow God

then everything will be alright.

And yet from our passage

this morning,

I want to show us

that that is not guaranteed

to us.

In fact, actually,

we were talking about this

on the car on the way in.

The Lord Jesus

actually maybe indicates

that the opposite

might be true.

But what it does do

in our passage this morning

is it shows us this.

It shows us

that His presence

is with us.

That's why I thought

we would follow on

with a little card

that says God

with us.

Not only His presence

with us

but His purpose

for us.

Jesus begins His life

and He's displaced,

He's vulnerable

and He is dependent.

I can't imagine

what it would be

to run to another country

hundreds of miles

with a newborn baby.

We're expecting a baby

in a couple of months

and with all the faff

that goes with that,

I can't imagine.

Even just going with Chris

away for,

you know,

50 miles away

with a two-year-old

at Christmas time

is a lot of faff

but I can't imagine

bundling up a newborn baby

or a toddler

as we are probably

in this reading here

and taking them

hundreds of miles

into another country.

But I wonder

as a believer

do we find ourselves

like that?

Do we find ourselves

displaced?

Do we find ourselves

vulnerable,

dependent?

You know,

we're in the world

but we're not off it.

we're open to attack

from a hostile environment

but we should be

wholly dependent

on God.

You know,

for anyone who

has ever thought,

yeah,

I'm living as a Christian,

these things

shouldn't happen

to me.

Well,

let me put it to you

this,

that our passage

says otherwise.

Sometimes obedience

will lead us

into hardship

and not away from it

but it is never

outside of God's will.

God's guidance

speak to us,

God's guidance

speaks to us

because it is

God's will

and the narrative

that we see here

not only is

to fulfill prophecy

but it is God's

will.

It was planned

before the foundations

of the earth.

Which brings me

on to the second point

which is this

worldly resistance.

When Herod realised

verse 16 to 18

when Herod realised

that he had been

outwitted

he was furious.

The reaction of Herod

I think

exposes a timeless truth

and it is this

that Jesus

threatens

false

power.

Now I don't necessarily

or

I don't only mean

that Jesus

threatens

those in power

but it threatens

false power.

You see

I don't think

Herod was afraid

of a baby.

I'm a bit nervous

about a baby

but I'm not afraid

of a baby.

No, Herod

he was

afraid of losing

control

and I wondered

this morning

because I want to

make this really

real for us

this morning

I wonder if we

are afraid

of losing control.

We think

we are in control.

We think

we have the power

in our lives.

We think

we can do

what we want.

We want to be

in a sense

for many people

they want to be

God in that sense.

They want to

dictate all the rules

they want to be

in control

of their lives

and

in a sense

this is where

Herod is

he wants

ultimate control

false power

in that sense.

I wonder if we

are clinging

on to false power

we think

we've got

all sorted out

who has got

plans for 2026

already

all sorted out

all laid out

where you're

going on holiday

where you're

going to move

what job

you're going

to get

all that kind

of stuff

it's false

power.

God is in

control

in our

little section

here we're

going to see

that false

power actually

is very

ugly

power without

humility

is ugly

and it

often results

in violence

Herod responds

with this

cruelty

and he orders

the murder

of innocent

children

it's a dark

moment in history

and it's one

that we have

seen time

and time

and time

again

when you see

despots

and rulers

that just

want to cling

on to power

that ultimately

belongs to

God

and they

make a

mess of

it

and I

don't think

Matthew

skips over

it or

softens it

in that

sense

it's right

there on

the page

just the

brutality

of what

Herod was

willing to

do

Ian reminded

us last

week

which was

that he

went the

lengths of

killing his

own family

members

his own

sons and

his wife

because of

his insecurity

in that

sense

we still

live in a

world like

that

a world

where innocent

people suffer

because of

corrupt

leadership

where pride

produces

violence

where power

protects itself

at all

costs

I just refer

back to what

Ian said

again

Ian said

last week

that Matthew's

gospel is

gritty

and it's

right up to

date

in many

cases

it's so

similar to

the situations

we see

in our

world

today

but I

think our

passage here

just reminds

us that

in a sense

human nature

never changes

and it

also gives

us the

confidence

to call

out the

atrocities

that we

see in

this world

you know

Christian faith

doesn't deny

it

this is what I

go back to

when sometimes

we hear this

preaching

where you know

when you give

your life to

Jesus then

all will be

well and

you'll be

blessed and

you'll have

seen that

nonsense on

the television

and that

kind of

thing

but Christian

faith is

not a

denial of

these hard

situations

it's not

pretending

that everything

is okay

it acknowledges

the grief

and the

injustice

and the

pain that

is caused

by our

sinful

world

and God's

word takes

time and

room to

record the

grief that

we see

here

Matthew

quotes

Jeremiah

he says

a voice

was heard

in verse

18

a voice

was heard

in Ramah

weeping

and loud

lamentation

you know

God doesn't

rush past

our sorrow

or this sorrow

he records it

and he

doesn't rush

past our

sorrows

you know

some of us

are carrying

grief today

loved ones

that in human

terms

the loss

of loved

ones

that in human

terms

doesn't make

sense

we carry

pain

that we

didn't

choose

we have

questions

that are

not

answered

and yet

the Bible

makes it

clear that

God sees

the tears

that we

cry

in the

night

the hidden

pain

the hole

that's left

in our

lives

and

the Christian

hope is

not pretending

that it

doesn't exist

it is

trusting God

within

the pain

God

with

us

which is

the point

of our

little

which is

the title

for our

little

consideration

this morning

God

with

us

which brings

me on to

the next

point

that we're

going to

look at

this is

point

number

three

which is

this

sovereign

triumph

God

is in

control

verse 19

to 21

verse 19

and Herod

died

and an

angel of

the Lord

appeared

Herod

dies

but God's

plan

continues

does that

not give

us a

hope

this

morning

does it

not make

you

smile

even in

some of

the chaos

that happens

in our

lives

and in

our

world

it gives

us

hope

tyrants

fade

but God

remains

God is

always

there

he's

always been

there

and he

always will

be there

God

with

us

I

noticed

here

that

I've

written

down

that

evil

has

an

expiration

date

it's

probably

not what

we think

about

when you're

in a

situation

and you

think this

world is

so evil

and it

will never

end

and yet

Herod

dies

he believed

he can

control the

future

that's why

he killed

his sons

he killed

his wife

he killed

the babies

that were

the boys

that were

under

two year

old

in that

region

of Bethlehem

and in

the surrounding

vicinity

he thought

he was

in control

but one

thing he

could not

stop

was God's

promise

and so many

others have

tried the same

haven't they

so many

others have

tried to

do away

with Christianity

who have

put roadblocks

in the way

in fact

it was the same

when Jesus

was crucified

they said

we will not

have this

man to

reign over

us

Matthew

has established

Christ as

the king

and yet

they say

we will not

have this

man to

reign over

us

but he

is king

of kings

and he's

lord of

lords

his kingdom

will be

eternal

his purposes

will be

fulfilled

and the

scripture tells

us his

enemies will

be brought

to nothing

I was

thinking about

him this

morning

written by

Henry

Light

it's not

one that

we've

sang here

for a

long time

but it

says this

it is not

for us

to be

seeking

our bliss

or building

our hopes

in a region

like this

we look

for a

city

that hands

have not

piled

we long

for a

country

by sin

undefiled

you know

sometimes

this world

feels

overwhelming

there is

political

chaos

you just

need to

spend any

time on

twitter

or x

if I'm

up to

date

you spend

any time

on x

you will

find out

that it

is

political

chaos

it's

cultural

hostility

and I

think more

closer to

home

there is

moral

confusion

that is

the world

that we

live in

but remember

this

there is

no

government

there is

no

ideology

there is

no

power

struggle

a structure

that is

eternal

save that

which God

has planned

before the

foundations

of the

world

God is

not reacting

to the

events

and the

situation

that Herod

has created

here

no

God

is

reigning

he is

in

control

and

he was

in

control

then

he is

in

control

now

and God

continues

to guide

his people

step by

step

I want

you to

notice

again

that

Joseph

is

guided

step

by

step

the

angel

comes

and speaks

to him

and tells

him to

get to

Egypt

he then

comes

again

and he

tells him

he can

come

back

it's

not all

at once

it's one

step at

a time

it's

something

that we

thought

about

recently

when we

thought

about

walking

walking

free

in

Galatians

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

chapter

5

whether

or not

we were

just going

to walk

in

partnership

with the

spirit

well I

think

it is

the same

here

when we

think

about

God's

sovereign

triumph

he wants

us to

obey

some of

us want

the full

road map

but God

often just

gives us

the next

fatal

step

I wonder

as we

finish

this

year

if there

is

something

ahead

of us

and God

just

asking

us

to

take

that

simple

step

it

might

be

this

morning

that

there

are

people

and

for

some

of

this

message

you

might

have

already

closed

your

eyes

and

you're

not

really

absorbing

what

we're

saying

that

could

just

be

because

you're

a little

bit

tired

this

morning

you've

had

a

busy

week

it

could

be

though

that

you've

never

come

face

to

face

with

Jesus

as

your

saviour

you've

!

never

been

willing

to take

that

step

of

faith

you've

never

been

willing

to

respond

to

God's

call

into

your

life

well

the

invitation

is

still

there

in fact

often

when we're

preaching the

gospel

we would

maybe

reference

in

revelation

behold

I stand

at the

door

and

knock

well

that

is

true

this

morning

he

is

the

invitation

is

there

for us

to come

to God

to take

that step

of faith

to trust

in him

to realise

that

the baby

that came

into the

world

as we've

thought about

in this

last week

came into

this world

to be

a saviour

he came

into this

world

to go

to a

cross

and to

suffer

there

on our

behalf

and

another

old hymn

that we've

probably never

sang

in this

hall

for a

long

time

was

this

only

a

step

to

Jesus

it

is

that

step

of

faith

that

we

should

take

but I

slightly

digress

some of us

want that

full roadmap

up front

we want to

know what

it's like

and yet

we don't

see that

in this

passage

here

with

Joseph

this

morning

you know

my

challenge

is

this

morning

that

when we

hear

God's

voice

are we

humble

do we

humble

ourselves

ready to

!

trust

but trust

is not

knowing

everything

trust

grows by

just walking

obediently

in what

God has

already

revealed to

us

and sometimes

I think this is true

in my own life

sometimes he just shows

the next step

ahead

and as long as we are

willing to take it

as long as we are

willing to trust him

then we should

be confident

and we should be

comfortable in the fact

that God said

I am with you

God

with

us

and

God

triumphs

over

evil

his plan

continues

he is with

us

and that is why

on this third

point that I want us

just to

finish on

is this

the sovereign

triumph

of God

but it takes me to

our last point

and this is maybe

not something that

we are going to

necessarily

like this morning

but it is this

quiet providence

so when I talk

about providence

I mean

God's purpose

God's plan

and God's

provision

within

our lives

quiet

providence

we read here

when we come to

this last

little section

in verses 22

and 23

that Joseph

settles

in Nazareth

you know

Nazareth is not

an impressive

place

it's not

strategic

it's not

prestigious

in fact

later people

would ask

as we read about

in John's Gospel

later people would ask

can any good thing

come from

Nazareth

we were having a

discussion

at the beginning

of the

long conflict

but at the beginning

of the recent

conflict

that started

between Israel

and Palestine

and one of

Rachel's

if she doesn't

mind me saying this

but one of Rachel's

aunt

had been there

and had been

in Israel

at the time

and as she was

coming to the airport

they asked her

where she'd been

and she said

she'd been in

Nazareth

and there was

a disgust

in the

border guards

question

about why

she had been

in Nazareth

still a place

that is despised

even today

that is what

Nazareth

was like

and yet

the little point

I want to make

this morning

is this

that God

chose

humility

over hype

Jesus grows up

unnoticed

unknown

ordinary

in human terms

as we might say

I think for many of us

we live in a culture

where we're obsessed

with visibility

we're obsessed

with success

it's a culture

where it's all about us

where we want to be

the next big thing

where

and you hear this so often

and I have to smile

fake it until

you make it

well

that's not the way

that God works

God works

in quiet

faithfulness

he works

in the hidden

obedience

he works

in ordinary

routines

I want

to just dwell

on that

for a few minutes

this morning

because I think

that should give us

confidence

it should give us

hope

it should be a comfort

to us

and

our lives

might not feel

impressive

our obedience

may feel unseen

but God chose

this place

in Nazareth

for his son

that's where he grew up

that's where he learned

obedience

that's where he

fulfilled

his father's

will

it was God's

purpose

it was God's

plan

it was God's

provision

I don't want that

necessarily to contradict

my first point

I don't know if you remember

what my first point was

after 20 minutes

but

which was that

God guides

and we

should

obey

that God's

guidance

and our

obedience

but I want us to see

here that

God works

in our lives

just where we are

we don't need to be

someone

we don't need to

go somewhere

for many of us

we won't be called

to paid ministry

or to serve abroad

but God expects us

just to

enjoy

and to serve him

and

to rely on him

and to be in

the circumstances

in which

we find ourselves

and often

that is in

unexpected

ways

Matthew says

that this was

to fulfill

prophecy

that Jesus

would be called

a Nazarene

do you know

God's promises

are sure

something I think

that I often forget

and if you are like me

then you will probably

often forget that as well

God's promises

are

sure

but they are not

always predictable

I think for many of us

you might even just look back

over the last few years

and you see

things that happened

in your life

situations that you

that you had to face

and deal with

and

it's only by looking back

do you realise

that God's hand

was in it

it might not have been

predictable

it's not what we would

expect and it's not

what you're planning

for 2026

but the point is this

that God

is

with us

God with us

and we see that

we see this

in the way that

the promised Messiah

enters into the world

they were looking for

a big

majestic

display

of power

and might

a king

that would

that would

ride in

and all

pomp and ceremony

and

that is not

what is given

it is a curveball

that when we come to see

how Jesus

entered into this world

not as a mighty warrior

I mean we think of

we think even of that

you know tender route

out of a dry ground

unpredictable

and yet

God's plan

is sure

and it will be

fulfilled

I wonder if we

underestimate

what God

has placed us

in our workplaces

in our family

in the season

that we're currently in

do we underestimate

that God has that

totally in control

that his hand

is on us

that he is

looking for us

to obey

his guidance

you know

God is not

absent

in obscurity

he wasn't absent

when Jesus

was in Nazareth

and he's not

absent

in our

ordinary

situation as well

in fact

that's actually

where he's most

active

you know

I just mentioned

there

the whole nation

of Israel

those that were

waiting for the Messiah

to come

they were looking

for a king

to come

and to be

on a throne

and yet

we find this

baby

not on a throne

but on the run

where he knows

fear

and displacement

and injustice

and loss

and I think

that means

that when

we think

about our

situations

when we think

about

walking through

unstable seasons

in our life

we are never alone

Matthew tells us

if we just

kind of summarize

what we've been

thinking about here

in Matthew chapter 2

Matthew 2 · chapter mention

Matthew 2

tells us

subtly

that God

guides his people

he sees their pain

and he defeats

evil

every

in his time

might not be

in our time

might not be

in the time

that we expected

but it is defeated

and God

works through

humble obedience

you know

God is with us

even when we feel

unstable

even when we feel

uncertain

even when we

maybe even feel

unsafe

but I wonder

where is God

asking you

to trust him

today

I want to

finish our

2025

this is the last

service that we'll

have here

in 2025

and I wonder

if I could just

challenge us all

including myself

this morning

where is God

asking us

to trust him

right now

in the uncertainty

in the grief

in our

visions

in our waiting

you know

like Joseph

we may rise

even when it's

dark

and follow

where God

leads

it's a hard

thing to do

but that is

what God

is asking us

there's a poem

that I didn't

write down

some of you

will know it

and it's often

recited at

New Year

and it is about

us

it is about

the Christian

putting their

hand

into God's

hand

and stepping

into the

unknown

and as we

step over

that New Year

line

on Wednesday

night

and we step

into 2026

and all of

these things

might be going

on in your

head

and there

might be

uncertainty

and there

might be

things that

you don't

know

and there

might be

chaos

in a

situation

well

we might

just remember

this little

story of

Joseph

the story

is actually

not about

Joseph

the story

is about

Jesus

but we

might just

remember

the story

about Joseph

this morning

that he

even left