The Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 4
“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
The Holy Innocents
December 28
Reflections for the Twelve Days of Christmas
Day 4: ‘Four Calling Birds’
Dear Faithful in Christ,
Grace and Peace to you this holy day observance for The Holy Innocents. Follow me on this fourth day of Christmastide reflections.
Day FOUR: In old English, a ‘colly’ bird was a ‘coal-black’ bird. Over time, the term morphed into ‘calling bird’ and is often sung as such in modern times. Songbirds are well-known and cherished for the lovely sound they put forth across the skies.
The four Gospel writers – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – also put forth God’s Word across the land, carried across national borders, and through the centuries. These words have provided comfort in the Good News of Jesus Christ delivering a balm amidst the natural difficulties of life.
Like colly birds becoming calling birds, the Gospels forged unique shapes in their writing. Mark, Matthew, and Luke share lots of content, but not necessarily the same order of events. Even though John takes another perspective of Jesus’ life, ministry, and purpose and how it is carried out, all four Gospels enable us to grasp the breadth of depth and dimension of who Jesus is as a person and as our Lord.
There is no sweeter sound than the conveyance of God’s love in the world to all people. The power of these words and as John names Jesus, the Word, is recognized by those who need him and by the powerful, who led by the sin of greed, that desire to mute our Lord. As the wise men sought the birth of our Lord, Herod made every effort to be sure no person of power would be raised up even if such a prophecy came from a faith other than his own. To do so, he commanded, on the commemoration of this day, that all children of a certain age to be slaughtered. Sin kills.
Yet, we come to find in the Good News, written down by those four holy authors and evangelists, that no sin, nor its result of death, can overcome the light and life found in Jesus Christ.
May we shed ourselves of our own sins and cherish with humility the Good News of the only righteous King, Jesus Christ, with true faith and true hope that we continue the work of these four faithful writers.
In the joy of God’s love found in Jesus Christ,
Fr. Michael
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
A Collect for Holy Innocents
The Book of Common Prayer, 186
We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by the order of King Herod. Receive, we beseech thee, into the arms of thy mercy all innocent victims; and by thy great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish thy rule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
