Printer-friendly  |  Email to a friend

Advent devotions 2007

December 28 - The Decade of Discovery
By Melissa MacGregor, a junior from Glen Ellyn, Ill.

Scripture: Matthew 2:13-23 (NRSV)
Scroll down for complete Scripture.

Devotional:
My father has always referred to the age window of 20 to 29 years as "The Decade of Discovery." Since my 20th birthday in August, I feel as though I've hit the ground running. I've found myself expanding my once resistant and bland food palate through trying new foods: Thai, Ethopian, Icelandic, Cajun, anything with spice. The girl once content with ordering the simple and cheap grilled cheese - thank you very much - now willingly tries wasabi. This may seem a simple and small act, but it is definitely noteworthy for my discovery decade records.

In addition to trying new meals, I've been developing a taste for travel. For me, it is the epitome of discovery. Both the journey and destination are brimming with challenges and opportunities. I find joy finally figuring out the quickest "L" trains to take to visit my brother in downtown Chicago. I find joy when GPS successfully works or a worthwhile challenge to my sense of direction when it doesn't. Although I hate driving during rush hour, I feel joy once I reach my destination of visiting my grandpa for our traditional coffee.

In a few weeks, I will be heading to Peru for the spring semester through the college's study abroad program, Study-Service Term. Come April, I will be in the Amazon and then in May, I will be studying in Spain and backpacking in Europe. And I am so excited. I am excited to explore not only to learn and experience these countries, but to use this time to better understand my own country, community, beliefs and assumptions. This travel will most likely result in great personal reflection, new friendships and diverse experiences. This discovery decade appears to be starting off well.

But of course, the importance of travel is not just for those in "The Decade of Discovery"; it is for everyone. Especially during this time of celebration, family and community, reuniting refreshes and delights us. Sometimes the trek itself leaves something to be desired. Fortunately, roads are paved, buses are usually on time and if we cannot physically be there, our ideas and words can instantly be obtained through the internet. We are so fortunate to live in a time and a place that uses travel as a tool – business, education, vacation — rather than a mandate or a survival tactic.

In this Matthew passage, Herod had just been outsmarted by the stargazing Magi. At this point, Herod - so consumed and paranoid with power - has already had killed several of his own heirs. As he made attempts to control and squelch any sort of uprising, Herod had become fixated on maintaining perfect power. He called for immediate death of every boy under two in Bethlehem, or the Massacre of the Innocents, to ensure his authority. Warned by angels, Joseph, Jesus and Mary successfully escaped to Egypt in order to evade Herod's paranoia. They were willing to trust God as well as venture to a foreign land despite the hardships and uncertainties of the unpaved desert roads. Travel was clearly used to survive. God provided guidance and safety. Joseph and Mary were willing to listen, leave their home and brave a new culture. Praise the Lord!

Whether you find your way through the coming year by using donkeys, paper maps, GPS navigational systems, savvy noses or starlight, I wish you happy and safe journeying in your 2008 travels. May you continue to discover God's wonder and directives in whatever decade you find yourself traveling!

Scripture: Matthew 2:13-23 (NRSV)
Now after they had left, 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, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.' Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, 'Out of Egypt I have called my son.'

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
'A voice was heard in Ramah,
   wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
   she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.'
The Return from Egypt

When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly 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 seeking the child's life are dead.' Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, 'He will be called a Nazorean.'

---

Thank you for joining the students, faculty and staff of Goshen College during Advent and Christmas for devotions. We pray they have met a spiritual need for you each day as you have taken time to ponder what Christ's birth and life mean for you. Join us again for Lenten devotions, when they begin on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008.
Posted at 18:16 #