"Out of the Depths"

There is a part of the Christmas story that doesn’t tend to get a lot of airtime.  King Herod’s ruthless slaughter of all the boys under the age of 2 in Bethlehem is heart-breaking and horrific and reflexively we are tempted to turn away.  But it is an important part of the story for it shows us that Christmas includes tears and weeping.  Jesus came, not into a idyllic world but one deeply broken and marred by sin.  He came into the world to suffer with us, and ultimately to suffer for us, so that one day our tears will be wiped away and our weeping will cease.  This year as we celebrate Christmas, let’s invite one another to be honest about our pain and recognize in the birth of Jesus, the one who has come to bring redemption and to set all things right.