From the Desk of the Senior Pastor

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” – Matthew 2:13 (NRSV)

Within the season of Christmas, we have this joyful celebration of the birth of our savior. We sing lots of familiar hymns and carols. We exchange presents and cards, wishing people a “Merry Christmas” or a “Happy Holidays”. Embedded within all that good cheer and celebration, the church calendar has a day set aside to remember the children who were killed by King Herod in and around Bethlehem in an attempt to kill Jesus as a young child. It is called the Feast of the Holy Innocents and is usually observed on December 28th, but our liturgical calendar transfers it to the 29th when it falls on a Sunday.

According to the Gospel of Matthew, Herod was very interested in what the Magi had to say about the newborn king they had come to see. But the Magi did not come back to tell Herod where to find Jesus. And an angel warned Joseph to take his family to Egypt to escape danger. When Herod realized that he would not get the information he desired, he instructed his soldiers to kill all the children in and around Bethlehem who were 2 years old and under. Even embedded within the beginning of the story of Jesus and the good news of God’s love that is embodied in the person of Jesus, there is the shadow of human
suffering and violence. Jesus and his family had to flee their homes to another country for Jesus to survive long enough to be the teacher, the healer, and the crucified and risen Christ that would save the whole world.

In our world today, no matter how many decorations we put up, how many gifts we give, how many carols we sing, or cards we send, suffering  and pain are present alongside the signs of good cheer. The story of the children of Bethlehem reminds us that we are not celebrating Christmas to cover up and ignore our problems and the problems of the world. We are celebrating Christmas to remind us that we have hope in the midst of our pain, our fears, and our difficulties. Evil and violence continue to try to do their work, but God is with us. Immanuel was born and remains with us to the end of the age to lead us through the good and the bad, lifting us up and restoring us to new life. As we face our own crises, our own pain, and our own fears during the holiday season and look forward to whatever the coming year will bring our way, let us remember the good news that God is still with us, that the ways of violence will not triumph, and that in the end our Lord will wipe away all the tears from our faces while bringing an end to all that would harm us.

May all of you be blessed and continually reminded of God’s loving presence as we enter this new year.

Amen.