Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. (Matthew 2:16)

We are now several days into the twelve days of Christmas. For the non-Christian world, the secular holiday of Giftmas is over. The Christmas holiday is a joyous, happy time. And for believers it is a time in which we celebrate the "good news of great joy," that unto us a child is born, the King of All creation. With the angels who give glory to God in the highest, with the shepherds who return glorifying and praising God, with the wise men who rejoice exceedingly with great joy, we too join in the joy of Christmas.

Christmas is a joyous, happy holiday. And so it is somewhat disconcerting for many to hear today's Gospel. It seems to run counter to the happy, joyous mood of the season. The Gospel recounts the slaughter of the Holy Innocents by King Herod.

The killing of the innocent infant boys in Bethlehem is a terrible, brutal, horrifying and tragic story. The background is familiar enough. After Jesus is born in Bethlehem, during the days of King Herod, wise men from the east come to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." Now for men who are supposed to be wise, this line of inquiry does not seem to be very wise at all.

Herod is concerned. There can only be one king in a kingdom, and to Herod, it was call to action aimed at self preservation. Herod was an evil, sly politician, a smooth talker. He knew from the prophecies that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, so he sent them to Bethlehem on the pretense that he wanted them to report back to him so he too could go and worship him also.

Herod, of course, didn't want too worship the newborn king, he wanted to kill him in his cradle. But the wise men are warned in a dream not to go back to Herod. So Herod still didn't know which of the baby boys in Bethlehem to murder. So just to make sure he got the right one, Herod, a man without a conscience, ordered the death of all of them – all the baby boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity, up to two years old. It was a very practical solution for a man devoid of any morality.

Herod the Great was a brutal, murderous ruler, insanely jealous and protective of his power, suspicious to the point of paranoia. Ancient history records other occasions when he had potential rivals to his throne, whether real or imagined ruthlessly killed. He even murdered members of his own family when he thought it served his own interests. So for Herod to order the deaths of maybe 100 or so baby boys in a small town – if he thought that doing so would be a sure way to get rid of a new "king of the Jews" – this was nothing difficult for him.

The soldiers were sent, and the deed was done "for the good of the state." At a glance we would say that this crime was so unspeakable and heinous, as to merit eternal damnation. What kind of a monster could do such a thing? What is as senseless and tragic as the violent death of innocent children? We say this and yet we live in a society that looks the other way while nearly one and a half million abortions are performed every year, over 3,800 a day. According to the U.S. government 43% of women in the U.S. will have at least one abortion before age 45. Our slaughter of the innocents makes Herod look small time.

As a pastor over the years I have personally dealt with the aftermath. Not only are we killing innocent unborn infants for our own selfish reasons, years later it scars the lives of the women involved and their families. Yet there is very little outrage or concern when we consider that nearly 48,000,000 abortions have been performed since Roe v. Wade in 1973. We detest the Nazi's and they only killed 6,000,000 in their concentration camps. The Reformed Episcopal Church passed resolutions requesting that Holy Innocents Sunday be an occasion to remind our congregations of the stain this brings on our society and the resulting disrespect for life in general. We should pray for the day when this modern slaughter of the innocents ceases.

But let us return to our story. Try to imagine the sorrow of those mothers in Bethlehem: "A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more."

Is there any comfort for these mothers of Bethlehem? Ultimately there is. In a sense they were sacrificed in the same manner that the temple lambs were offered in sacrifice: to illustrate the sins of man and point to the true Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world.

There is one very special infant who was spared, one baby boy who escaped the slaughter of the innocents. Joseph is warned in a dream to take Mary and baby Jesus and flee the country. The little Messiah is safely on his way to Egypt. God spares Him because He is the central figure in God's plan to redeem and rescue his people. Jesus is the 'one that got away' because God had a special purpose for Him. He was sent to be that perfect Lamb.

God had done this sort of thing once before, saving a special infant. Many centuries earlier there was another evil ruler who wanted to kill a bunch of baby boys. But the Lord had a little baby deliverer that he wanted to keep alive. Moses was his name. So that time the one that got away was baby Moses. This time it's baby Jesus. That time the baby was already in Egypt. This time the baby goes to Egypt, in order to escape. Moses had a great mission in front of him: to lead the people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt, to take them to Sinai to receive the Law. Jesus had an even greater mission in front of him: to lead people of all nations out of bondage to sin and death and the power of the devil. That's why baby Jesus needed to flee from Herod and escape to Egypt.

It was necessary for baby Jesus to live, in order for him to grow up and fulfill his saving mission. Ironically Jesus had to live so he could later die, at the right time and in the right place as the ultimate innocent Lamb of God. Some thirty years later, Jesus would stand before another Herod – Herod the Great's son, Herod Antipas – and before a governor named Pontius Pilate, and at that time and in that place, Jesus would suffer and he would die. His death at the hands of evil men would redeem us from the power of death and deliver us from all evil. So the Christ of Christmas had to live, in order that the Christ of Calvary could die, for you and me.

Thus the connection between the joy of Christmas and the somber tragedy of the Holy Innocents. Any celebration of Christmas that can function only on a surface level of sweet, syrupy sentimentality, of excessive focus on gift-giving and cocktail parties is a Christmas that cannot come to grips with the harsh reality of death and suffering and evil in the world – that kind of a Christmas is not worthy of the name. But the true Christmas, the real Christmas, while joyous also speaks a word of deep comfort to those who are suffering, to those who are struggling with the unanswered, and unanswerable, questions of life – and death. Maybe you are one of those today who can benefit from this comfort found hidden in the story.

Is there any comfort for people suffering from tragedy and loss? Is there any comfort for young mothers who lose their children? Is there comfort for you, when you lose a loved one or are losing one to advancing age or debilitation? For you, when you come face to face with your own mortality? Is there any comfort for us as Christians when remember the victims of abortion on demand? Yes, there is comfort for them and for you! It is all because of the one that got away! Christ Jesus, by winning forgiveness for all our sins has taken the sting out of death. We still mourn, we still feel the hurt and loss of missing loved ones and friends, or of going through physical suffering ourselves. But the big hurt, the big death – death facing the wrath of God – that has been dealt with. Jesus took that death for us and so took the sting out of death for all who place their trust and faith in Him.

Christ's absolutely "holy, precious blood" and his totally "innocent suffering and death" mean that now we who are connected to Christ are as accepted by God as the "holy innocents," holy before God and innocent of all guilt. Those who belong to Christ will "live under him in his kingdom and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness." So the question then becomes: How do we get connected to Christ? The baby boys of Bethlehem – they were connected, for they were sons of the house of Israel. They had received in their bodies the sign of the old covenant which God had given to Israel, namely, circumcision. And so they shared in the hope of Israel, the promised Messiah, who would deliver God's people from sin and death.

How about us? How do we get connected to Christ? We are connected to him in Holy Baptism. In baptism, we participate in the death of Christ. Paul says in Romans 6 that "all of us who are baptized into Christ Jesus are baptized into his death." So the big death for each of us has already occurred. The death we deserve for our sins Christ has already suffered. And we participate in that death by way of baptism. Now the only death left for us is the one that leads to life – everlasting life in heaven, where there will be no more pain, no more suffering or sorrow, no more tears and weeping.

There is the source of comfort – and even joy – for all who are surrounded and set upon by the sorrows of this life, this vale of tears. There is the comfort for the mothers of Bethlehem and for us.. All who are connected to Christ have already died and now are joined to the life of Jesus. His is life that is truly holy and innocent, life with God, life forever.

And so Christmas joy is not a time for artificially trying to block out unpleasant thoughts and put on a happy face. No, Christmas is to be celebrated especially in view of all the tragedy and suffering we experience in life because Christmas transcends suffering and tragedy. When Christ came into the world he came to be our sacrificial lamb. He is the propitiation (perfect offering) for our sins, and that makes all the difference. For the Christ of Christmas is also the Christ of Calvary. That's why Jesus had to be "the one that got away" – so that he could go to the cross for each of us. And connected to him, we have a comfort and a hope and a joy that all the Herods of this world cannot destroy.

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.