A family set up a nativity scene in their yard, and little Scott brought his favourite dinosaur to it, huge, towering over the manger and everyone else. That picture opens a reflection on the second chapter of Matthew (Matthew 2): the flight to Egypt, the killing of the infants, and the fear of Herod, who chose to kill God before ever meeting him. The message shows a king who was himself a refugee and was born into brutal times in order to understand those who suffer, to find the forgotten, and to free us from the evil within and around us. Listen if some dinosaur towers over your Christmas too.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Matthew 2:13-23, Matthew links the flight to Egypt with Hosea's words, "Out of Egypt I called my son." What did this echo of Israel's story tell the first Jewish readers about who Jesus is?
- Why does Matthew bring in Rachel weeping from Jeremiah and the fact that Jesus grew up in despised Nazareth? What do these details reveal about the character of this King?
- The sermon said Herod was a lot like us, because he wanted to run his own life. Which area of your life is hardest for you to hand over to Jesus, and why?
- Jesus came to bring freedom from sin that has become second nature and from the evil around us. What are you struggling with right now that needs exactly this kind of freedom?
- The speaker told the story of parents grieving a child, for whom simple, naive answers were not enough. How does knowing that Jesus was a refugee and entered a brutal world to be with those who suffer change the way you face pain?
- What "dinosaur" is towering over your nativity scene, or over the life of someone close to you, and how can you invite Jesus this week as the King who understands, comforts and seeks the forgotten?
