A Voice is Heard

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. The voice of the angels proclaiming the Savior's birth. The voice of the shepherds telling the whole town of the strange and glad tidings they heard and saw. Voices of joy and mirth. Voices of praise and thanksgiving.

And then the voice of Rachel, crying in Ramah. The voices of the mothers of Bethlehem, weeping and wailing over their slain baby boys. The voices of the subjects of Herod crying out against the violence and bloodshed committed in fear and anger.

What a contrast! First, the choirs of heaven resounding through the cosmos with the news of the birth of the Son of God. This glorious news rings out – the Savior of the nations has come into the flesh. The long-awaited Messiah has been born in Bethlehem of Judah. The Lamb of God has come to save His people from their sins.

Then comes the decree of Herod. Because he is so hungry for power, because he is so fearful of losing his place in the world, all the baby boys of Bethlehem must die. The news peals out like a clanging gong. Instead of the light steps of the shepherds racing to spread the good news, the heavy footfalls of the soldiers echoes through the streets as they go from door to door, executing the king's odious order. Then, instead of the cries of the newborn King of Kings, the anguished screams of the mothers suddenly bereft of their children. The voice of Rachel, weeping in Ramah, refusing to be comforted, for her children are no more.

But there is comfort for we who mourn. Those boys of Bethlehem were treated to the vision shown to St. Stephen at his martyrdom – the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. By faith in the One who had come to save them, those boys entered heaven where the angels stood ready to receive them into the bosom of Abraham, into the company of all the saints. And their blood was not shed in vain, for their blood was shed that the Son of Man might keep His, until He would shed it at the appointed time for them and for us.

For that tiny babe, so few days old, whom Joseph was commissioned to protect, is indeed the savior of the world. Although the forces of hell quaked at His birth, although the demons shudder at the mention of Him, the devil still was crafting plans to effect His demise. But the Son of Man would not be shaken from His course. From the womb of Mary to the Jordan River to the Cross of Calvary, His heroic course ran exactly each step as our Lord Christ willed it. The slaughter of the Holy Innocents could not stop it. The flight to Egypt could not change His course. The ruminations of the Herods could not derail Him. Jesus will go to the cross according to His Father's will and plan. Jesus will die upon the accursed cross for the sins of all mankind. Jesus will shed His holy and precious blood for the boys of Bethlehem, for the children of Rachel, and for me and for you.

Though the bodies of the boys of Bethlehem were laid into the grave, they are with the Lord in His kingdom. But our Lord is not yet in the grave, for the grave could not keep Him. Through the grave, our Lord ran down His course to the gates of hell, where He destroyed death and the power of the devil, and He proclaimed freedom to the captives no longer under Satan's power.

And yet another glorious work was accomplished by this Son of Man brought forth from the womb of Mary. In Him, we have all received adoption as sons of the King. We have the blessed inheritance of heaven and the right of sons to enter the house of our Father in heaven when He calls us to Himself. Although the mothers of Bethlehem lost their sons according to the flesh, they gained a Father according to the Spirit.

Over the voice of the weeping and wailing, over the voice of the mourning and lamenting – over all the voices of this sad world comes the one voice which changes everything: “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Our Heavenly Father reaches down from heaven, marks us with the blood of His Son, and calls us His own. His voice drowns out all the screams of violence, all the shouts of accusation, all the whispers of guilt and shame. The voice of our Father speaks softly but firmly to each one of us, saying, Your sins are forgiven, I am with you, you are Mine.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.