January 7, 2007: First Sunday After Epiphany

Don't you just hate it when harsh reality intrudes, destroying your illusion that all is well and right in God's world? Just two weeks ago our sanctuary was filled three times with voices sweetly singing of little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. Silent night holy night all is calm all is bright. Some of us even went to sleep in heavenly peace, thankful anew for all the love we have in our lives and for how blessed we are.

So we come to worship this morning, maybe hoping to continue this nice warm glow in our hearts, and not only do we have the shock of learning two of our members died yesterday, but Mathew inserts this gospel story! Amid all the sweetness of Christmas, we hear wailing and loud lamentation. Ancient mother Rachel weeps inconsolably over the loss of her children. Must we listen to this? Must we hear about innocent babies being killed and the Holy Family having to flee their homeland like common refugees? Why this story's been repeated a million times over the centuries.

And some would say, Herod was only doing what had to be done. There was a real and present threat to his kingship. He had to act on the credible intelligence the wise men and his advisors gave him!! And no doubt Herod had high priests and advisors who told him such action was moral to preserve the peace!! After all as king, Herod has a duty to protect the country from the violence a rival claim to the throne would ultimately bring. Don't blame Herod for all these deaths-- some would say--blame the wise men! They could have saved these innocents by just honoring Herod's request to tell him where Jesus was, so it's their fault, not Herod's, that there's collateral damage on this raid to get Jesus. If only the wise men had come back and told Herod exactly where Jesus was, his soldiers could have hit only that house! As it was, some would say--Herod took proper precautions to minimize the innocent loss of life---only males, only if they were less than 2 years old, and only those in the city of Bethlehem . The force Herod used was proportional to the threat and minimized the loss of life—given the intelligence information he had.

But still it's not an image we typically dwell on this time of year, the harsh reality that the first Christmas consisted of soldiers with swords on the streets, mothers clutching their babies, hiding together in the 1 st century equivalent of a closet—trying not to breath too loudly, begging their infants not to cry. The first Christmas wasn't all sweetness and light for these mothers and fathers. And there aren't many more questions more impossible to answer than,

Rachel weeps inconsolably as all parents weep when the lives of their children, are destroyed because people see their children through eyes of fear. The fears and rationalizations of people who are afraid of something bigger than these innocent children. Parents weeping for hopes and dreams of long lives for their children snuffed out –erased forever, by some one else's false hope that their fear will be replaced by security. It's bad enough when women like Ruth and Dot who lived very long and fruitful lives leave us, but babies who never got the chance to grow up? How wrong, how unjust is that?

Today's gospel story shows us even the birth of the long awaited Messiah didn't stop the suffering of the innocent at the hands of the powers that be. Powerful governments, powerful social and economic forces destroy the life we long for each child to be able to live. So it's not surprising that we want to skip this part of the story, and why I couldn't find a hymn about the slaughter of these innocent babies.

Perhaps the story hits a little too close to home? While our own children are the most precious most wonderful creations in all of God's world we're not so sure about other children-especially the children who could grow up and hurt us. Or especially the children who have rotten parents and haven't been taught self control and self-reliance—who lack self-discipline—you know those kind of children with those kind of parents?

What strikes me about the slaughtered children in today's gospel lesson is that for all their killers knew, anyone of them could have been the Messiah, could have been Jesus. This got me thinking what if we began to look at all children, not just our own, through the eyes of God? Seeing them not just as unfinished products to be molded and shaped into “good” Christians, or productive and patriotic citizens, but see each child right now as a god-bearer? As a person who bears the image and likeness of God?

I'm reminded of a man called Red Davis. Red was the CEO of a big corporation in Texas , providing jobs to lots of folks in the community, but that's not what he's remembered for. He's remembered for what he did after he retired from this prestigious and high powered job.— Red taught the 3 and 4 years old Sunday school class at First Baptist church in Marshall , Texas . He didn't know much about teaching kids Sunday school in the beginning-- said his pastor—but Red was kind, loving and willing to learn. And he knew that patience, hugs, and genuine smiles and warmth are ways to a child's heart. Red genuinely cared for each one of his students and his pupils felt that caring and responded positively to it. These children wanted to come to church on Sunday because of the genuine interest, care and affirmation they received there, because of the relationship they felt with Red and I imagine other adults in that congregation.

I wonder what our church would be like if each one of us responded this way to every child here at First Moravian? If we welcomed every child who enters our doors as a potential Christ-child? This isn't the job of just the nursery worker, the Sunday school teachers, or the children's church leaders, but responsibility for each one of us. Sure you may feel kind of awkward and foolish, you may even be afraid of other people's children—how will they respond to you? But our God born a baby so long ago has taught us, shown us, how to be vulnerable, how to risk loving, and be open to the joy and sorrow that love brings. Can we train ourselves to look at each child here at First Moravian as god-bearers?

Christmas is not good news of a great joy that will make everything easy. Jesus, Mary and Joseph first act as a family is to flee for their lives, and live as refugees in a country with perhaps a long memory of the plagues and humiliation they suffered at the hands of the Israelite God. Rather Christmas is good news of great joy that God came, became one of us, and the dark will never over come the light.

Christmas is about God who comes to everyone who has lost a loved one, lost a job. To everyone whose family is breaking apart, or overwhelmed with addiction or debt. To every family who wants to have a child and can't, and families who have a child they don't want. God shares the pain of everyone whose life is full of grief and loss. This part of the Christmas story that we're used to leaving out—the violence against the innocent, the grief, death and destruction is the most important part of the story. It is the part that explains why this child is a holy child. A child who comes to us in the worst and most painful of places to share our suffering. We are not left alone. God's love for us is deeper than our sadness and ultimately more powerful than death, and in the end, hope prevails over fear. Let us ponder this reality as we prepare our hearts for Holy Communion, that it may it be so in all our lives.