The Feast of the Holy Innocents

 

Even though we count the Days of Christmas as our twelve-day celebration moves on, the Christian Calendar reminds us that the birth of Christ neither takes place in a vacuum nor does it occur without consequences.  I have heard it said, “One lights a candle, but casts a shadow.”  The story moves on, not letting the baby remain in the manger for long.  There are repercussions for the birth of a Savior.

 December 28 is the Feast of the Slaughter of the Holy Innocents, alternately known simply as the Feast of the Holy Innocents.  We read their story in Matthew 2:16–18.  In a nutshell, King Herod instructed the Magi, the Wise Men from the East, to bring word back to Herod once they had located the new born king so that Herod himself could “pay him homage.”  This is undoubtedly Herod’s code for “so that I can kill him.”

 The Wise Men found the child, gave him gifts, worshiped him, and “being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another way.” –Matthew 2:12

 But when Herod decided that enough time had passed for the Magi to carry out his orders, the king determined that he had been duped.  In an angry rage, he decreed that all male children under two years of age should be killed so that he could make sure and eliminate his rival.

 Joseph, father of Jesus, received his own warning in the form of another dream, and he fled with Mary and Jesus and sought refuge in Egypt.  So, while an undetermined number of baby boys died at the hands of Herod’s minions, the target child was spirited away.

 This is a dreadful story.  Yet it is not outside our understanding of Herod’s character.  He brutally killed his wife, brother-in-law, three of his sons, 300 military leaders, and many others, as recorded by firsthand sources (notably the Jewish historian Josephus).

 It also recalls the story of the Hebrew children in Exodus1:15—2:4. Pharaoh attempted the murder of newborn Israelite boys, but Moses eluded that fate and obviously became the great leader and law-giver of the people.  Matthew portrays the infant Jesus as being in the same peril and experiencing the same deliverance.

 The coming of Jesus into the world can have unforeseen fallout.  Sometimes pure evil, in its efforts to combat or eradicate faith, commits acts of unspeakable depravity.  Beyond that we can never fully explain such occurrences.  But this Feast Day reflects our resolve never to forget.

 The calendar reminds us that the consequences of the appearance of Jesus in the world are many and varied.  Some involve deep intentionality.  Others can appear absolutely random.  But Jesus is not a presence that we can ignore.  For good or ill, the world knows that.

The Feast of St. John the Evangelist

 

Today the church celebrates the life and ministry of John, brother of James, son of Zebedee.  His name has historically been associated with the Fourth Gospel, the three New Testament epistles that bear his name, and the Book of Revelation.

The Gospel of John never mentions the name of its author.  The term “the disciple whom Jesus loved” that we find there is traditionally understood as John, but he is never explicitly identified.

 Tradition holds that “John, Apostle and Evangelist” was one of the leaders of the church at Jerusalem after the ascension of Jesus.  He remained in a position of prominence until the fall of Jerusalem in AD 72.  From there John went to minister in a variety of locations (traditionally) and settled in Ephesus, from where, again church custom holds, he did much of his writing.

Christian tradition holds that John was the only one of the twelve apostles who lived to an old age and died of natural causes.  The others, according to church lore, were martyred.  

Yesterday we meditated on St. Stephen, the martyr, who because of his faith died at an early age.  Today we ponder the long and faithful life of a servant of Christ who lived to be full of days.  We can never be fully certain where the life of faith will take us.  The calendar reminds us today that it could be, it could be, that it is possible for the disciple to enjoy a lengthy and abundant life.  It would be a disservice to the Apostle to claim that he was healthy and content every day of his life.  After all, the writer of the Book of Revelation did his composing while he was in exile on the island of Patmos.  But, overall, this life reminds us of the fullness of spirit (if not of years) to which Christ calls us.

The Feast of St. Stephen, Martyr

 

December 26 is the Feast of St. Stephen, Martyr, the “Feast of Stephen” of the carol “Good King Wenceslaus.”  The song nowhere mentions Christmas or any of its accouterments

The first line marks the events of the music in time, but there are no other seasonal references (unless  you count “Ye who now will bless the poor Shall yourselves find blessing…” and that may be a stretch).

It might seem a bit of a downer after al the hoopla of Christmas to come to the next day and be reminded of the first Christian martyr.  Acts 7:54-60 tells of his death.  It is a sobering story.

 
The Christian calendar reminds us that Jesus does not come into the world in a vacuum.  He does not remain in the cradle.  Nor is his advent without consequences.  Christian history is filled with the tales of martyrs, both famous and anonymous.  Their story is part of the Christmas story, too.

The Nativity of The Lord Jesus Christ

  

It is Christmas!  What a great day.  It can’t really be caught up in one word.  Even though Christmas – the Christ-Mass – is a wondrous expression, the day’s proper title is The Nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ.  That label is a virtual confession of faith in itself.  The Announcement that there is “good news of a great joy which shall be to all people,” and the response of the Heavenly Host, the wonder of the shepherds, the amazement of the onlookers and the pondering of Mary only begin to tel the story.

 It is the First Day of Christmas.  The season will extend through January 5.  Then comes The Epiphany of the Lord.  But, just as we didn’t hurry to Christmas, we shall not be impatient about The Manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.

 The faith significance of the day cannot be overstated.  Even in the part of our society that is not  particularly religious, there is still a sense of the unique about these days.

There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,' returned the nephew. `Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round -- apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that -- as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!

-- Ebenezer Scrooge’s nephew, Fred
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Christmas Eve

 Somewhere around noon today we will make the transition from the last Day of Advent to Christmas Day.  Tradition has held that the Christmas Vigil or Christmas Eve worship service begins at midnight, as we migrate from Advent to Christmas proper.  But, as practical or convenience influences have taken root, Christmas Eve services occur ever earlier in the day.  One congregation that I serve has a tradition of a 4 p.m. service.  It allows things to be just dark enough to be able to hold a candlelight service.

But we have tried so very hard since November 10 not to be in a hurry.  Let’s don’t give up on the season quite yet.

There’s still one more sleep ‘til Christmas.

If you don't know the reference, it is here.

The Gift of the Magi

 I remember being required (compelled) to read The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry when I was in school.  It was OK.  It was a little moralistic.  It demonstrated that all happy endings do not look alike.  I did alright on the test.  I moved on.

Funny thing, though.  If I listed all of the pieces of literature I read while in school, the number would be quite high.  (Not nearly as high as some readers I know, but that’s another story.)   But, truth be known, I don’t think about most of those books and stories nearly as often as I think of O. Henry’s work.  It is not that I quote the book in every sermon.  I don’t reference it in each conversation I hold.  But I have never eluded it.  The gift is not the watch chain, or the combs.  It is love.

A lot of people classify this as a Christmas story.  I am not here to quibble with that.  But I observe that the action, the tension of the story occurs immediately prior to December 25.  So, I think of it as an Advent story.  And I read it again this year.

You can read the story here.

The Seventh O Antiphon – O King of the Gentiles

 O KING OF THE GENTILES and their desired One, 

Cornerstone that makes both one:

Come, and deliver us whom you formed out of the dust of the earth.

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Some translations render this opening line as “King of Nations.”  While we could spend a lot of time on this differentiation, the spirit in the Antiphons is the same.  There is an understanding that the several titles for the Messiah that the Antiphons employ up to this point have tended to hold their significance for the Hebrews alone.  “King of Nations” (plural) or “King of the Gentiles” affirms the proclamation that the good news is for all people.

The prophets foretold such: For a child has been born for us, a son given us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  This is an oft-quoted word from  Isaiah 9:6.  He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.  This foretelling is also from Isaiah.  It is Chapter 2, verse 4.  Among the plenteous others is Isaiah 64:8: But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

The Antiphons individually and collectively are a rich source of worship material and grounds for seasonal reflection.  It has meant a great deal to me to plumb their depths even a little bit in this season.

The First Song of Isaiah

The Psalter Reading for the coming Sunday found in the New Revised Common Lectionary is a portion of Isaiah's first Servant Song.  This is the text of Isaiah 12:2-6 from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible:

Surely God is my salvation;

   I will trust, and will not be afraid,

for the Lord God is my strength and my might;

   he has become my salvation.

 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 
And you will say on that day:

Give thanks to the Lord,

   call on his name;

make known his deeds among the nations;

   proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;

   let this be known in all the earth.

Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,

   for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

There is a musical setting (below) that moves me a great deal.  I was pastor at a church at one time where the choir presented this piece as an anthem frequently.  The opening lines were sung by both the congregation and the choir:

Surely it is God who saves me;

I shall trust in Him and not be afraid,

For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense,

And he shall be my savior.

There are four Servant Songs in Isaiah.  The Gospels appeal to the  figure of the Suffering Servant (especially in the Passion Narratives) repeatedly.  But the lectionary reminds us that this prophesy is also apt for our Advent observance.  It offers an alternate perspective to some of our more commonly-read seasonal texts.