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.