"The Forgotten Christmas Story"
Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs
St. Matthew 2:13-18
December 28, 2008
Peace Lutheran Church, Hastings, Nebraska
(First Sunday after Christmas)
IN NOMINE JESU
It's hard to believe that the celebration of the birth of the Christ
Child has already taken place, already three days ago. It also does
not seem possible that we are four days away from entering the Year of
Our Lord Two Thousand Nine. This final week of the calendar year is
always a most interesting one. Often we reflect on the past year, as
well as the Christmas just celebrated. So let us give some thought to
the events of Christmas Day. Do you remember where you were that day?
Do you recall if you attended Divine Service that day? Can you think
of whether you visited or hosted people or both? Are you able to
recollect what gifts you received that day—and from whom? Do you
remember the Christmas story—not the one with a sleigh but with a
manger? We have heard the story, often told in Christmas programs and
on Christmas Eve. We recall the birth of the Savior, who lay in a
manger because there was no room in the inn. What is not so easy for
us to relate is the outrage and hatred that would later ensue by way
of an ultra-paranoid tyrant named Herod the Great.
It is easy for us to overlook the martyrdom, the murder, of these
innocent infant boys. As we look to the Scriptures, we do not see a
lot of information about them. Yet, had the Holy Spirit deemed the
details to be important, He would have inspired St. Matthew or someone
else to give us more information. We don't know who these babes or
their parents were. We know nothing of the social standings of their
respective families. We do not know even how they were killed or how
many of them in number perished. We can be certain that, in that
little town of Bethlehem, the number of babies slaughtered would be
relatively low. However, that low number by no means diminishes the
treachery of Herod's decree or the murders committed by his Roman
soldiers. This martyrdom of the Holy Innocents is indeed the
forgotten Christmas story. Also easily lost is why these baby boys
are called martyrs. Their blood was shed—poured out—on account of
Jesus. That is why the liturgical color for this day is red. They
had not done or said anything to anger anyone, but Herod, out of his
paranoia over this infant King and his fury over being tricked by the
Wise Men and their going home by a different route after receiving a
divine vision to do so, demanded that blood be shed at the expense of
these infant boys. It is a most gruesome account in our text, and for
that reason many of us choose to make this the forgotten Christmas
story. However, theirs is a story that must be told.
You see, we like to keep the story nice and neat, like the nativity
scene. All is calm, and all is bright, and we like to keep it that
way. The mere thought of babies being killed on account of Jesus we
find repulsive, as we should. That is not to say, though, that we
ought to ignore this account completely because it needs to be told;
it needs to be remembered. We also think of martyrdoms in terms of
events happening centuries ago to people we have never seen. Such was
the case two days ago, as the Church remembered the martyrdom of St.
Stephen, a first-century deacon and the first martyr of the Church.
We fail to realize, due largely to a lack of media reporting, that
many people around the world today, children included, are perishing
on account of Christ and the Gospel. And as long as someone else's
blood is shed, our hands are clean—or are they?
King David wanted to build a temple for God, but the Lord said no, on
account of the blood on David's hands from wars waged and the murder
of his lover's husband. King Herod had blood on his hands from all
the people he had executed, including one of his own sons. But what
about us? As a society we have permitted nearly 50 million babies to
be killed before exiting their mothers' wombs. We have neglected the
elderly among us, and many of them die alone. How often have we
ignored the poor and needy among us, as if we echoed the words of
James: "If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,'
but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body,
what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have
works, is dead" (Jas. 2:15-17). By ignoring those who are perishing
and not loving them as Christ has loved us, we share in the guilt, and
through our willful ignorance of their plight, their blood is on our
hands.
Also on our hands is even more blood, the blood of Christ, the One
whose birth we just celebrated. The blood of the Babe of Bethlehem is
on our hands on account of our sins…and His dying for them. You see,
it is our sins—sins of commission and sins of omission—that put Christ
on the cross. It was there on the cross that Jesus shed His blood—for
you. His blood is not just on our hands; it is all over us, for we
have been covered in the blood of Christ shed for us. His blood is
our atonement cover. This is literally our cry in the Kyrie: Lord,
have mercy upon us. More accurately, we are crying out, "Lord, be our
Atonement Cover for us!" He covers us with His own blood so that,
when our heavenly Father looks upon us in judgment, He sees not our
sins but the blood of His only-begotten Son. The shedding of blood
has been crucial to the spiritual well-being of the people of God for
thousands of years. Even in prescribing the liturgy of the Tent of
Meeting, the Lord said, "the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I
have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls;
for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul" (Lev. 17:11).
In the liturgy that is the Lord's Supper, our Lord says to us, "Take,
drink; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for
you for the forgiveness of sins." Our Lord also says to us, "Whoever
eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise
him up at the last day" (Jn. 6:54).
Even as the blood of the Holy Innocents was shed for the life of the
Christ child, His blood was shed for us, that we would have life in
Him who is the Resurrection and the Life. This blood, along with His
body, is our Savior's gift to us this day, a gift we get to receive in
a few moments in the Divine Service, thanks be to God!
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
SOLI DEO GLORIA
--
The Rev. Pr. Mark A. Schlamann, Lincoln, NE
Sermons available at http://lcmssermons.com/Schlamann
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"When you are baptized, partake of Holy Communion, receive the
absolution, or listen to a sermon, heaven is open, and we hear the
voice of the Heavenly Father; all these works descend upon us from the
open heaven above us. God converses with us, provides for us; and
Christ hovers over us--but invisibly. And even though there were
clouds above us as impervious as iron or steel, obstructing our view
of heaven, this would not matter. Still we hear God speaking to us
from heaven; we call and cry to Him, and He answers us. Heaven is
open, as St. Stephen saw it open (Acts 7:55); and we hear God when He
addresses us in Baptism, in Holy Communion, in confession, and in His
Word as it proceeds from the mouth of the men who proclaim His message
to the people."--Martin Luther (1/19/1538 [LW 22:202])
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