The Feast of the Holy Innocents | Wednesday 28 December 2022

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Today is Wednesday the 28th of December, the feast of the Holy Innocents.

Paul Zach sings, ‘Christmas Communion Song’.

Lay the gift into our hands

God with us here in our world

Bread and wine, God we commend

We receive your mercy Lord

Even the hands that we're holding you with

Even the eyes that behold

All that we have and we hold is your gift

All that we're made of is yours

Give us the body and give us the blood

Give us the heartbeat and breath

Give us love yourself

Nothing here won by our hands

All is grace nothing we earned

Here like poor shepherds we stand

We receive your mercy lord

Even the songs that we're praising you with

Even the offering we bring

All that we make and we do is your gift

All that we give to our king

You are the body and you are the blood

You are the heartbeat and breath

You are love itself

Let your gifts flow through our hands

From your heart into the world

Reaching out to every land

We receive your mercy lord

Even the roads that we travel today

Even the cold and the mud

Even the smoke rising up as we pray

These are the gifts you confer

Live in our bodies and live in our blood

Live in our heartbeat and breath

Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 2:13-18

Now after the wise men 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.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, 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. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

‘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.’

In this season, seemingly dedicated to peace and goodwill, how does this feast day speak to you?

Herod is supposed to be the authority here, the king. This cruel response to his frustration seems unbelievably brutal. As the family races towards safety, many others will suffer through misuse of power. What are your feelings at this time? Do you see this injustice in the world around you?

‘Rachel weeping for her children’. As you listen to the reading again, notice that there is personal loss here. Joseph and his family exiled from all they know, innocent families facing a lifetime of sorrow. In the midst of joy there are tears. How does this speak to you?

In a time of prayer, share your thoughts with the Lord and ask for his guidance.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.