Yes, if you are keeping track,
yesterday was the fifth day of Christmas,
and, as the often annoying song goes:
On the fifth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
five gold rings...
and so on.
By now I have,
by my count,
not only five gold rings,
but also twenty calling birds,
fifteen French hens,
ten turtle doves,
five partridges,
and five pear trees.
The house is a mess,
and I'm short on recipes
for calling birds and turtle doves,
both of which are too large
for the air fryer.
This is way beyond generosity--
it now feels creepy.
I have broken off the relationship,
and so far, nothing has arrived today.
I am relieved.
Anyway, I am really writing
to point out that the fifth day of Christmas
belongs to the Holy Innocents.
Their story--
also a part of the larger Christmas story--
is not the least bit warm and cozy.
They are the ones who die
at the command of Herod,
who rages at the thought
of another king threatening his rule.
His jealousy, insecurity, and inability to admit weakness--
his transition fury, if you will--
results in the death of an unknown number of baby boys.
The innocent (and their families and communities) suffer
because of Herod's deep-seated instability.
Some would say
he is an evil man.
Some might say
he is deeply disturbed.
In any case,
what he does is horrific,
and here in the middle of the Christmas story,
between the baby in the manger
and the arrival of the magi (January 6),
we remember these murdered infants,
we hear again the wailing of their mothers,
and we vow to stand against tyranny and injustice
wherever we see it.
So what do I wish you?
Merry Christmas does not fit,
so how about
a Somber Christmas?
a Thoughtful Christmas?
a Just Christmas?
a Prayerful Christmas?
You pick.
Text and image © 2020 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.
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