In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
`And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. Matthew 2:1-12
Dear Elizabeth,
This is such a hard thing for me to do, to write you a letter and tell you all of this. My heart is full and breaking. I trust you will get word to my folks about us. I will write to them as soon as I am able.
Late last night we were awoken by the noise of knocking outside. Joseph rose and went out to be greeted by very strange visitors. Their accents and clothes were very unusual, as were their faces. It was a bitter night, so we invited them in. They asked to see the child as they had followed his star, and once they were by his bed, they knelt down and worshipped him. Then, they opened their packs and gave us incredibly expensive, exotic gifts. We were overwhelmed and nearly speechless. We offered them some food and drink, and while they were eating, they told us about their journey and how they had visited Herod's palace. Can you imagine? Our visitors warned us that they felt Herod would stop at nothing to destroy the child, as he is a small minded man and threatened by even an infant. They left when it was still dark and we tried to return to sleep. It was hard with such excitement!
This morning, at breakfast, Joseph told of the dream he had. He feels warned that we should not go home right now and that we need to flee immediately since the strangers were probably followed by the authorities. So we are packing up and heading across the border to live for a time like refugees in a strange land. I have been crying and I am ashamed for my weakness but I did so want to go home to Mama and Papa. Fortunately, the gifts from our visitors will provide us with some income, if we need to barter for food and lodging. I trust that God will show us the way, but this is so hard! I am not sure I am strong enough for another long trip. Joseph is making arrangements right now with our hosts for additional food and water for our trip. Our landlady has been crying too as she hates to see us leave.
Elizabeth, please send word to Mama and Papa, but be careful so they don't some to any harm. We will send word to them when we can. We will wait until dark to head out, but after that it may be a long time before you hear from us again. I know God will find a way forward for us, and yet, right now, I ache to be held in my mother's loving arms and to be surrounded by family and friends. Please, please, pray for us and never forget how grateful I am for you.
love,
Mary
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