December 28, 2026

5II. God As Light - God Is Light. Now this is the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth. 7But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say, “We are without sin,” we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing. 10If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1My children, I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. 2He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.

2Had not the LORD been with us, when people rose against us, 3Then they would have swallowed us alive, for their fury blazed against us. 4Then the waters would have engulfed us, the torrent overwhelmed us; 5then seething water would have drowned us. 7We escaped with our lives like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare was broken, and we escaped. 8Our help is in the name of the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.

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13The Flight to Egypt. When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” 14Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. 15He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16The Massacre of the Infants. When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. 17Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet: 18“A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.”