Good Monday morning dear people. We are in Psalm 79 and Lamentations 5 today. Both are mourning the total destruction of Jerusalem and ask that they not continue to suffer for the sins of their fathers. It reminds us of the commandment that the sins of the fathers are felt to “third and fourth generation.” A society that abandons God will suffer oppression, violence and tyranny for years at times. Then in Matthew 2 we come to the visit of the Magi. Matthew records this in order to show that even the gentiles worshiped Jesus as king of the Jews. Herod pretended to want to worship Jesus as well but an angel warned the Magi to go a different way. Joseph was awakened as well that night and he and Mary fled to Egypt in fulfillment of the prophecy of “Out of Egypt I have called my Son.” They returned to Nazareth for practical reasons but it was also in fulfillment of the prophecy that a Jesus would be called a Nazarene. There is a Nazareth vow in the Old Testament but the village was not established until much latter. God bless you all.