The Christmas That Never Came

"When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: '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.' " 
(Matthew 2:16-18)

Someone once said, "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God." I believe that God's heart was broken on the day that 20 children and six adults died needlessly at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday, December 14. Much has been said and written about this horrible tragedy, some comforting and some absolute rubbish.

I learned a long time ago that it is a dangerous thing to put words into God's mouth. My study of the Book of Job informs me that God is not required to give a reason for anything that happens in this world, and we can exhaust ourselves trying to figure out why such events occur when He chooses to remain silent.

I do not know, nor will I venture to guess, why those innocent children had to die that day. Children who most likely were looking forward to celebrating Christmas in less than two weeks. Christmas will never come for those kids. Every time I think about the parents who had to bury their babies this week, I try to empathize what they must be experiencing, and I can only come up with one response: tears. I have never been a parent (the closest I have come to parenting is raising dogs that I consider my children). I have no idea what it feels like to lose a child. What it must be like to look at their empty chair every evening during dinner. To miss the sound of their laughter at play. Not having to get them up in the morning and prepare them for school. Not being able to tuck them in at night and read them a bedtime story. But I do know one thing: there are countless tears, and will be for many years to come. And Christmas will never be the same again for dozens of Connecticut families.

The outrage and shock experienced by our nation in response to this event has me puzzled, however. Yes, it is a horrible thing and should have never happened. But thousands of children die every day around the world from starvation, disease and war. I think that we Americans are so outraged when something like Sandy Hook happens because these things happen so infrequently in our country. But in other parts of the world, childhood death is very much a part of life, and parents bury their babies all the time. Where is our outrage then? Or are we only outraged at the needless deaths of children when they are American? I believe that God weeps over every child that is robbed of his or her chance to live a full and productive life.

There have been numerous suggestions and discussions on how to prevent another Sandy Hook from happening, but I think those discussions are off track. As long as there is evil in this world, people will do horrible things like randomly shooting schoolchildren or movie-goers, flying airplanes into buildings, and storming embassies. We can pass all the laws we want, but these people don't follow the rules and will always find ways to carry out their crimes.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not taking a fatalistic approach to the problem and suggesting we sit back and accept this because it's going to happen anyway. I just don't want to settle for a knee-jerk solution that really doesn't solve anything. In every mass-shooting over the past several years in this country, the perpetrator had a history of mental problems that were never adequately addressed. The fact that guns are so easy to obtain in this country only made it easier for them to carry out their plans. But guns aren't the problem. The two worst terrorist attacks on American soil (Oklahoma City and 9/11) didn't involve a single bullet. The problem is much bigger than guns and bullets. We have evolved into a society where human life has been devalued, many people live in virtual isolation (how many of your neighbors do you know by name?), and mental illness is still swept under the rug and ignored more often than not.

One of the obscure Gospel passages loosely tied to the Christmas story that is never discussed at Christmas is in Matthew 2, part of which I included above. After the Magi had visited Jesus and his parents, Herod proceeded to slaughter all of the boys in Bethlehem in an effort to eliminate the newborn King of the Jews. I believe that God's heart was broken then just as much as it was a week ago Friday. The slaughter of innocents is nothing new, is always tragic, and always breaks God's heart.

I have a deep sense of sadness and grief this Christmas, partly due to these recent events. But also partly due to the grotesque commercialism that has engulfed Christmas. It seems that this season is all about greed and excess, instead of a time to celebrate God's gift of His son Jesus to the world. It should be a time to gather with family and loved ones and cherish each other during this particularly dark time of year. Christmas was never supposed to be about presents and decorations and parties, but that's what it has become for so many, especially in this country.

Regardless of whether you have children, I encourage you to take some time this week, especially on Tuesday, to let your loved ones know how much you appreciate and care for them. I know that there are a bunch of people in Connecticut who wish they could tell their little ones how much they love them just one more time, but won't have that luxury.

May you have a blessed and peaceful Christmas. And remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Pastor David