A Poem a Sunday

The Holy Innocents

January 1, 2017

Matt. 2:13-23 – NRSV

Commentary: Why ruin Christmas with such a tragic story?  The Biblical record tells the story of Immanuel – the ‘God with us’ in all of life.  Yet has the human condition changed in 2,000 years?  Rachel still cries for her children; she refuses to be consoled because they are no more.  And what is our response today?

The Escape to Egypt

13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 Then Joseph[a] got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

The Massacre of the Infants

16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men,[b] he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.[c] 17 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
    wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
    she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”

The Return from Egypt

19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20 “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” 21 Then Joseph[d] got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 23 There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”

Footnotes:

Matthew 2:14 Gk he

Matthew 2:16 Or astrologers; Gk magi

Matthew 2:16 Or astrologers; Gk magi

Matthew 2:21 Gk he

A Poem a Sunday

The Holy Innocents

January 1, 2017

Voices

Across the mountains and over the desert

cries echo through the years:

Ancient laments never cease

now their volumes increase.

Aleppo:

--hundreds of thousands dead in the rubble.

But ears are deaf to the wailing and struggle.

The voices heard in Ramah:

A choice not to attend

to Rachel’s lament

for her dear children.

She cannot be consoled

because they are no more –

no more homes,

no more schools,

no more playgrounds…

Aleppo is rubble

hundreds of thousands flee

spitting dirt.

The Holy Innocents continues

to this day – pass it by?

Nothing has changed

in two thousand years.

Don’t ruin Christmas,

don’t destroy the illusion

that when Messiah comes

it will bring a conclusion

to hate, atrocities, and

inhumane acts and

Rachel keeps weeping

consoled no more

for too many of her children

now wait at our door.

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