Slaughter of Innocents

This should have been a fun week, anticipating Christmas, but reality reared its ugly head. Evil showed itself in a most shocking way.

The slaughter of innocents in a school room reminds us of our badly broken world, and now innumerable people are experiencing unimaginable grief. Unimaginable!

It’s interesting that the original Christmas story also contains a slaughter of innocents. Herod, so insecure and evil, orders that all baby boys in the Bethlehem area be killed. Why?

Because of one of them someday could challenge his position as King of the Jews. His evil action produces some of the most sobering words in Scripture (Matthew 2:18).

"A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more."

It’s into this kind of world and this kind of grief that Jesus is born. He came to begin a loving process of redeeming it all, leading us toward something where this stuff will not exist.

In the meantime, as we follow him, we work to make things better through his ways, while we hang onto to his words (John 16:33).

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Because of the Resurrection of Jesus and his promise that we too will rise again, I expect to see all those innocent ones, for I am sure they are in the presence of God.

That’s where I want to be. Sooner rather than later. Maranatha!