URC Daily Devotion for 03/01/2026

St Matthew 2: 13 – 15

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.’

Reflection

Joseph shows two traits worth thinking about in devotions, especially when starting a new year.  He was ready to hear and follow God’s guidance.  And he had a strong sense of responsibility to care for his family. 

Matthew had already introduced Joseph (Mt 1:19) as a righteous man, committed to doing what was right in the expectations of God, and of people, according to religious custom and rituals.  And he wrote of Joseph’s experience of being guided by an angel in a dream, while seeking the right action to take when his betrothed was found to be pregnant. 

So now, when wealthy astrologers from the east, who came with gifts to pay homage to ‘the child born to be king’, were divinely warned in a dream not to go back to King Herod, Joseph was alert to another dream himself.  He was ready to follow the angel’s guidance instantly in the night, to heed the warning of danger from Herod, and the instruction to take mother and child south-west to Egypt.

Matthew later indicated (Mt 13:55) that Joseph was known as the carpenter.  Maybe to care for mother and new baby in Bethlehem, Joseph worked for food and accommodation, as they were in a house when the astrologers visited.  Or maybe he gained carpentry skills and tools in Egypt, to earn a living for himself and family there and later in Nazareth. 

Joseph’s sense of family responsibility may also have come through his genealogy (Mt 1:1-17), descended from Abraham, and 14 generations to David, then 14 generations to the Exile, and 14 more to Jesus.  Joseph may have contributed to Jesus’s upbringing: awareness of this position in Jewish history and of the role of the Holy Spirit, as well as early experience in Egypt giving Jesus a more global outlook.

Prayer

Father God,
please help us to be ready to listen to you,
whether through startling, unexpected ways,
or through careful Bible study, discussion with others,
and your prompting in situations.

And please help us with our responsibilities
in families, or friendships, or wider society,
to follow your guidance, discern your activity,
and use the skills and opportunities you give,
with love, in Christ’s name.