Holy Innocents

Massacre of the Innocents (1824), by Léon Cogniet.

  

Lections: The First Sunday of Christmas, AD 2025 A

Homily:

Lord, we pray for the preacher, for you know his sins are great.

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The presents have been opened, the feasts devoured, the guests gone home—and yet our Christmas continues. For just how long is some matter of debate. The tradition, of course, is Twelve Days, from Christmas Eve unto Twelfth Night, the eve of the Epiphany. The Roman Catholic Church recently extended the season until the Sunday after Epiphany, the Baptism of Our Lord. I suspect that we will follow suit.

But medievals of means put us all to shame, by celebrating a full 40 days until Candlemas, 2nd February, a holiday of many names. I try to have our tree down by then.

The second, third, and fourth days of Christmas—the 26th, 27th, and 28th of December—are known as the Comites Christi, the Companions of Christ. On the 26th we remember St Stephen, Deacon and Protomartyr, the first Christian to be murdered for his faith. You may recall the Christmas carol: “Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen.” That’s the only song I know specific to the second day of Christmas.

On the 27th we remember St John the Evangelist, the only Apostle not known to have met an untimely demise. An ancient legend tells of a pagan priest challenging John to prove his faith by drinking a cup of poisoned wine; when John blessed said cup, the poison then departed in the form of a snake. Because of this, it has been traditional to bless wine on St John’s Day, a rather merry custom.

But then we come to the fourth day, the Childermas, the Slaughter of the Holy Innocents. Today we remember the little boys of Bethtlehem and the surrounding area, all of those aged two years and under, whom Herod ordered to be put to the sword—according to Matthew’s Nativity account—in a failed attempt to kill the Christchild. Herod imagined that Jesus would be a rival to his throne. What he didn’t realize was that Jesus is a threat to every throne, every power, every unjust oppressor.

Together, these three Companions represent three sorts of Christian martyrdom: St Stephen was willing to die for Christ, and did; St John was willing to die for Christ, and did not; while the Holy Innocents were not willing to die for Christ—how could they?—yet did. Much ink has been spilled in subsequent centuries about the concept of “baptized in blood,” and how every innocent child in the story immediately ascended into Heaven. Stephen’s death was heroic, but those kids were just kids.

It makes us uneasy, doesn’t it? If angels could warn Joseph in a dream to flee and save his family, why couldn’t they warn all the others? Some textual scholars might argue that this tale could be symbolic, not historic, but that hardly smooths the rub. Children do die. Bad things happen to good people, innocent people. And despite all of our assurances that this is not the will of God, that God will not let this stand, we are yet left to wonder why. Why is evil allowed at all, even for a time?

And I could give you some good hypothetical answers, solid theories. But those rarely help when it’s your kid on the line.

The Comites Christi also, I think, nicely illustrate three sorts of Christmas observances: the pious, the raucous, and the mournful. For much of our history, Christmas consisted of piety in the chapel and debauchery in the street. That’s why people often tried to ban it. Nowadays, thanks to the Victorians, we have a far more pleasant sort of Christmas, focused on children and charity, family and friends. It’s really quite lovely. Christmas is the best of days, a summer of the soul in December.

And yet we are haunted by the Childermas. We are haunted by the memories of days gone by, of friends lost, of family who have aged and died. The shadowside of our celebration is all those who are not here. And while I’m not thrilled with the story of the Slaughter of the Innocents, I think it necessary, and compassionate, and indeed simply honest to acknowledge our grief in this season. It’s the original Blue Christmas.

Christ is our joy, yes, but He comes to us in our brokenness, in our pain. That’s His Cross. That’s what makes Him truly human.

I have never lost a child. I pray to God that I never do. One time we came close, and that’s as near to Hell as I would ever wish to be. So on this day, I find it meet to step aside, and offer to you the words of an old colleague of mine from the Society of the Holy Trinity: the Rev’d Christopher Brademeyer, pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church, St Oakes, North Dakota. These are his words:

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the somber call to repentance in Advent that leads to the great joy of Christmas Eve services. I deeply appreciate that reminder to faithfulness and muted joy of expectation of the return of Christ in glory. But it is also a time when loss is made profoundly, palpably manifest. Loved ones are not at the Christmas table and though we have the tendency to keep quiet about it, we experience the emptiness where someone we love should be.

For whatever reason, this year I am missing my daughter, Sophia. She would be six this Christmas. There should be a stack of gifts under the tree with dolls and dress up clothes and story books for beginning readers. Instead, there is only empty space and an empty stocking. We still put up her stocking each year. We don’t want her to be forgotten or ignored. But it too will be empty come Christmas morning. Even the simple act of writing these words brings tears to my eyes all these years later. Many of us see those empty places that loved ones should be this time of year.

Being a Christian is hard. We have all the suffering and hardships of everyone else. And in this age of declining religiosity in America, it is very easy to be miserable about everything. Even us pastors find it hard some days to keep going when the work seems to bear little fruit. Lukewarm faith and halfhearted embraces of Christ are far too common. Cynicism seems more usual than not. Despair seems to lurk just behind the scenes. 

But then I look at that Christmas tree devoid of gifts for Sophia. We are not Christians because we expect an easier life or material success. We are Christians because of Christ: His incarnation, His birth, His life, His saving death, His resurrection. We are Christians because we live in a world full of hardship and loss, suffering and disappointment. But in the midst of this, Christ stands as the risen Lord who was slain, whose death is our life and our forgiveness.

There is a way through death, and His name is Jesus Christ. And though I feel loss and sorrow for what could have been with my dear sweet Sophia, I take great comfort in the midst of this grief that she was baptized into Christ and His saving death so that she will be raised from the grave like He was. Death may have taken my little girl and will forever loom as a threatening shadow over Christmas and all other holidays and family events, but it is merely a specter, an empty threat. Christ is risen. Death has no more dominion over her or any Christian.

Christmas is not merely a time of empty sentimentality, general goodwill, or warm feelings at the end of the day. It isn’t even about full churches or meaningful services. No, it is about Christ, God Himself becoming man, so that we who suffer under sin and death would be given a way through the grave in the forgiveness of sins.

Merry Christmas. Christ has come not merely to be with us, but to save us.

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pertinent Links

RDG Stout

Blog: https://rdgstout.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RDGStout/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsqiJiPAwfNS-nVhYeXkfOA

X: https://twitter.com/RDGStout

St Peter’s Lutheran

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064841583987

Website: https://www.stpetersnymills.org/

Donation: https://secure.myvanco.com/L-Z9EG/home

Nidaros Lutheran

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074108479275

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nidaroschurch6026