In the afterglow of “Silent Night” and peace on earth, the world’s murderous unbelief is unleashed. Gentiles from afar had come to worship the world’s redeemer and instead of using his authority to announce the good news that will be for all people, Herod “the Great” sought to snuff out the light of truth and life that had come to scatter the darkness of sin and death. Why? Because his god was his power. Not even his own family members were safe from his idolatrous paranoia. He who commands the legions of heaven’s angels, was forced to flee in the night away from the Promised Land, back into Egypt while unknown numbers of little boys were martyred by Herod. We may want our celebration of Christmas to end in Bethlehem’s stall, but Christ wasn’t born into paradise. He was born in the same world which you and I inhabit. A world broken by sin and filled with hatred. A world that is so far turned away from God, even the lives of children aren’t safe from its evil. This is why Christ was born. He didn’t create the evil that led to the slaughter of the Holy Innocents but He came to give hope in the midst of it. To believe the Word of God and conduct your words and deeds to it, means that you will be hated by the world. Jesus hadn’t even opened His mouth to preach and already He was hated and hunted. The devil knew exactly what was happening and he would do everything in his power to stop it. The great dragon tried to devour the child but God preserved the little Lord Jesus so that in due time He could crush the dragon’s head under His bruised and pierced heel. Like our Savior, our life here in this world is a life of suffering and persecution. But God is preserving us while we wander here, away from our heavenly home. And just as He brought Jesus at last to where He was to be, the town of Nazareth, so He will bring us safely to our eternal home, guarding and protecting us so that the world’s rage and hatred, cannot accomplish their purposes against us. Come, all you who are wearied and heavy laden, chased and battered by the world’s evil, and receive the comfort and strength of the One whose sufferings you share and who now sits on the throne of heaven. I look forward to seeing you this coming Lord’s Day.
Pastor Ulmer