Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ. The text on which this morning's message is based comes from our Gospel lesson (Matthew 2: 13-23) read earlier.

The Prince of Peace has been born -- and war has already broken out (Jensen, 1998). The Anointed One, the Christ child has come to earth, and quickly, so very quickly, the forces against Him are trying to stamp out his existence. The army of the Prince of this World, Satan, arrays itself against the Christ. This time the army of Satan is in the form of Herod the Great and his accomplices. Herod was the most powerful of rulers of the Holy Land since Kings David and Solomon, a man so powerful he need answer to only one other, Caesar Augustus. Herod is portrayed as the most evil of characters. We know from Scripture that Herod was spiritually blind, fearful (2:3), a plotter of evil (2:7), murderous (2: 13), and prone to fits of rage (2: 16, list modified from Jack Kingsbury). Other historical documents from the time paint a similar picture about Herod. By the time of Jesus birth, Herod had already executed at least two of his own sons because he suspected them of wanting his throne before their time; He was about to execute a third. He was about to execute a dozen or more young boys around Bethlehem simply because their presence somehow threatened the kingship of this aged, ailing man. The presence of young children here among us leads me to spare you other gory details of Herod's great cruelty.

The Prince of Peace has been born, war against him has already broken out, and the Prince has only 2 people in his earthly army: Joseph and Mary. And they didn't volunteer for this dangerous duty. Joseph, a lowly carpenter, a man with no power and limited means, is in stark contrast to Herod. Where Herod is suspicious and spiritually blind, Joseph trusts in his Lord and follows his guidance. Where Herod plots evil and murder, Joseph searches for ways to do good. While Herod listens only to his own murderous intuitions in order to control his kingdom, Joseph is willing to listen the LORD, to the angel of the Lord speak to him in a dream. While Herod does not trust God's Word about the Messiah who would be born in Bethlehem and cannot even trust his own family members, Joseph trusts that the Lord's guidance will put him in good stead even in dangerous situations.

Sort of a side note: If you've ever wished that God would speak to you in a dream or vision, Joseph and other biblical characters would probably advise you against such wishes. Rarely did God give them a message they personally wanted to hear or communicate to others.   Joseph had 4 dreams. In the first, the angel of the Lord came to tell him that he should marry this girl who was miraculously pregnant. In the 2nd, the angel told him that this powerful King Herod was wanting to kill them, so they should leave immediately, during the night, and head south in the dark to a foreign country they had never been to. After waiting there a few months or perhaps years, the angel again came and told him to make the perilous journey back to the land of Israel, despite the fact that Joseph was afraid to return because Herod's son was reigning in his place. While they were apparently en route, the angel came a fourth time and told them where specifically to go for safety, to Nazareth.

Many people today seek after God through visions and dreams, looking for guidance that will benefit them in this earthly life. After reviewing Joseph's experience with dreams, as well as Gideon and Isaiah and other Old Testament figures, I am very comforted that God speaks to us through His trustworthy Word and Sacraments. Through that Word we have guidance for our eternal life and God's will in our lives. Hebrews 4: 12 "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

The Prince of Peace has been born at Christmas, but Matthew shows us how the war against him has already broken out. While cruel and faithless Herod has an army of henchman looking to kill Jesus, Jesus seems to have only 2 people caring for him. Joseph and Mary must have felt terribly alone in the world, frightened except that angels had told them to "be not afraid." In their arms, this seemingly helpless child is actually guiding their paths. In their arms is the Lord of the Universe in the form of a child. Try as he might, Herod had no ability to stop the Prince of Peace's march to his throne. Just a few well-placed dreams were enough to thwart the plans of this cruel tyrant. Just two seemingly helpless, but faithful parents, armed with the Word of God, were enough to bring the infant Messiah to safety.

Christmas has officially come and gone, although we are still in the season of Christmas, as defined in the church's calendar, for another 6 days. The warmth of the season has come and gone for many. The presents have been opened, the trees are being put away. But for us who know this Christ child and the reason for his coming, the warmth of His love and his guidance can still be and is with us. The Prince of Peace has come, and whatever wars or struggles we may go through in this life, we can know that He is up to the task at hand.

Corrie ten Boom, the woman from Holland whose family had hidden Jews in their apartment and helped some escape Hitler, was imprisoned with her sister and mother at Ravensbruck, the infamous WWII concentration camp. After the war Corrie spent the next 33 years traveling around the world, telling her story of faith in Christ despite the suffering of the concentration camp. Until 1978, she never had a permanent home. Finally when she was 85 years old, some friends provided a lovely home for her in California. It was lovely beyond her wildest expectations. One day a friend who had visited her remarked, "Corrie, hasn't God been good to give you this beautiful place to live?" Corrie replied firmly, "God was good to me also when I was in Ravensbruck." (from James E. White, A Search for the Spiritual, 1998, p. 83).

How could Corrie say that after suffering so in the war? Because she knew the Prince of Peace had come and had fought the greatest war for her. You see, the Prince of Peace came, and through dreams and faithful parents avoided death at the hands of an evil man. The Prince of peace came at just the right time, as the Apostle Paul says in our Epistle text (Galatians 4): "when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts".

The Prince of Peace came and avoided death at the hands of an evil man when He was an infant. The Prince of Peace came, but more evil men would be after him after Herod died, Pharisees and Scribes and Chief Priests and a Roman Governor and even Herod's son. The Prince of Peace came, born of a woman, and war broke out against Him. And when just the right time had come, he allowed himself to be killed, for me, for you. Herod thought he had killed him when Jesus was an infant, but he was wrong. Pilate and the Sanhedrin thought they had killed him on the cross, and they were right for two days. But on the third day, He rose again, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, the Prince of Peace who made peace between us and heaven.

On the last page of our Parish Caller monthly newsletter, Ann Gardels shares with us some of the Christmas stories retold by the kindergartners in our Early Childhood Center. I would encourage you to read those 16 short paragraphs, confessions of faith by 5 year-olds that so simply and beautifully combine the Christmas story with the love that Christ showed for us at the cross and at his resurrection. The Word of God is living and active in these young lives. I'd like to close with one of those confessions, from Dequan. I am going to make a one letter editorial change of Dequan's to help make his point and my point.

"Mary take care of baby Jesus. And the soldiers almost got him. He died on the cross. (H)We got saved."

May the Prince of Peace guide us to know that He is constantly in control of our lives and our salvation, speaking to us through His Word. Amen.