The Slaughter of the Innocents

The reading from Matthew this week includes the slaughter of the innocents. I think I have only preached on it once... too much reality to bear; or my need to linger in the softer sides of Christmas a little longer. I know I could exegetically ramble around on the need for Jesus to be called out of Egypt so we could have parallels with the Exodus story and the fulfillment of prophecy and so on. Other preachers and interpreters reminded me that this text is also meant to keep me from disconnecting the hope of Christ with this harsh world. The Word became flesh in this world. Jesus was born into this kind of political power struggle. It still exists. Just watch the news. The light shines in this darkness.
And then the day after Christmas my morning started with two funeral homes calling to schedule services for this Saturday. One was for a person in his late 50s who died suddenly the day before Christmas eve. His birthday also happened to be Dec. 24. A very harsh Christmas mix. Cruel Herod.
I also went to see a person who had spent Christmas in the hospital and then that afternoon drove my brother back to Moorhead . My brother’s life is a complicated story as well. It all felt like Christmas had come to a sudden end. Or does it “begin” in a more realistic way?

I would still like to linger around with Silent Night and ponder, with Mary, all this nativity in my heart. But instead it does feel more like an escape to Egypt or a time to run, lest I lose what innocence I might have; or succumb to cynicism. I can’t let Herod’s cruelty do its slaughtering of hope in me. It's a tragic story and a tragic happening, in both social reality and spiritual metaphor.