Pastoring in the Time of King Herod

This was originally published for Fidelia. You can preview it here and read the rest by clicking the link here or below!

Editor’s note: This story is told with permission.

We stood in front of security at Dulles Airport, holding hands, bowing our heads, surrounded by bags and some of us wearing way too many clothes because they wouldn’t otherwise fit in a suitcase. We prayed for peace, in our hearts and in our world, for courage to begin yet again, for protection until they got off of US American soil and away from the threat of ICE, and for listening hearts to understand both the guidance of the Spirit and difficult British accents. This was not something I learned in seminary; the prayer I offered was not one I had found in a book of blessings; nor was this outcome one I had hoped for. And yet, there I was, holding hands with members of my church,  about to send off a much-beloved family of Ukrainian refugees to seek refuge in another country, the United Kingdom, because of the USA’s current anti-immigrant terrorism. 

Jesus was born in the time of King Herod, the Gospel of Matthew tells us. And quickly we learn that Herod was a man of fear, cunning, and violence. He lashed out against children, ripping them away from their families all to shore up his own power. His was a reign of terror, which sent the Christ child and his parents to Egypt seeking refuge.