First Christmas and This Christmas

Matthew 2:16-18

When Herod found out that the wise men from the east had tricked him, he was very angry.  He gave orders for his men to kill all the boys who lived in or near Bethlehem and were two years old and younger.  This was based on what he had learned from the wise men.  So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet Jeremiah had said,  "In Ramah a voice was heard crying adn weeping loudly.  Rachel was mourning for her children, and she refused to be comforted, because they were dead."

All was not calm, all was not bright.

Twenty children died today when a heavily armed man invaded a Newtown, Conn., elementary school and sprayed staff and students with bullets....Six adults also were slain, bringing the total to 26. Among them was the school's principal, Dawn Hochsprung, multiple sources told ABC News.  (abcnews.go.com)
Earlier, Obama had spoken the names of the six teachers and administrators who were killed. As he did so, the wailing in the auditorium was audible. When he read this litany of the children, the wailing returned. He read the names slowly. He read them surely, like someone looking out loud for a fallen friend on the black granite of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He then asked for the blessings of the Almighty on those who were killed and his comfort on those who are grieving.  (cnn.com)

All is not calm, all is not bright.

On that first Christmas, Jesus did not come into this world at a time when life was beautiful and peace abundant.  He came into a world rocked with murder, terror, and pain.

On this Christmas of 2012, our country is experiencing a moment when the beauty of life is forgotten and peace seems extinct.  Our world is filled with murder, terror, and pain.

My heart continues to be burdened with the events of last Friday in Newtown.  My soul breaks for them.  I do not know the children or families, but during this holiday season, I can't help but feel like there is a powerful connection here. Jesus came, not to fix all the problems right away, but to offer hope and love in this dark world.  The same opportunity is still present today.  During the early years of Jesus' life, it wasn't a single madman who murdered children, it was a governmental decree.  And it wasn't 26, it was hundreds, perhaps thousands.  This comparison, by no means, diminishes the incredible value of life lost this week, but it does present a perspective that we need to consider--life is dark.  It has been and is and will be. 

But how does one fight darkness?   With light.

How does one fight the most vicious of evils?  With the most powerful love.  The love of Jesus.

So during this holiday season, as it is tinged with the darkness of the recent tragedy, remember that all was not calm, and all was not bright, but that doesn't hinder the incredible power and life of Jesus, the Savior of all humanity. 

Thank you, Jesus.