“When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.'” (Matthew 2:13, NIV2)

The New Zealand Moa (Dinomithiformes) apparently became extinct about 200 years ago. The Moa was the tallest bird in the whole world, standing 3 meters tall (10 feet) and weighing in at up to 250 kg (551 pounds) (That sure was a heavy bird!). It was a forest dweller and an herbivore. It laid one to two eggs a year with unbelievable dimensions: 240 mm by 178 mm (10 inches by 7 inches) (It sure would have been a huge omelette!)

The Moa was a peaceful bird with only one predator: the Haast eagle (Harpagornis Moorei), now also extinct. The Haast eagle was not a serious threat for the survival of the Moa. The Polynesians who arrived roughly one thousand years ago sure were. They sure loved organizing hunting parties, chasing the Moa until those poor birds were completely exhausted and had no choice but drop to the ground, where they were slaughtered.

It also didn’t help that the colonisation of this island came with the clearing of forest land by fire. Their natural habitat was destroyed and even though the Moa tried to adapt to a new way of living, it didn’t have a chance, especially since dogs and rats were also introduced by the first human inhabitants of that island. These became predators of the young chicks, with this species having no hope of recuperating.

The Haast eagle had no hope of survival either for similar reasons!

But then, that is what happens to all of God’s creation. In a world, where God is not welcome, everything is “fair game”. After all baby Jesus was not only not welcomed, He was also chased with the sole goal to extinct Him as well! A baby has no chance in such circumstances, unless God intervenes!

Truly, I have never found a baby so despised as Jesus has been. He was rejected and hated as soon as He was born. It is no wonder that we His followers will tend to have a similar reception! “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NIV)

The good news though is that we are not alone. Our Abba is with us and the arrival of Jesus is a confirmation that God has been on our side all along! We are immersed by his love, if only we take the time to getting to know Him.

Let us rejoice, we are thoroughtly loved by the One who willingly came for us to show us the way to true bliss. So loved that it didn’t faze Jesus to face all these trials, as long as He could show His love for us.

By the way, would you like an omelette?

Rob Chaffart

(To access the entire “Christmas for the Brokenhearted” devotional series, please click here.)