URC Daily Devotion 14 October 2025

 
St Matthew 2: 16 – 18
 
When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
 
‘A voice was heard in Ramah,
    wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
    she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.’
 
Reflection
 
These ancient agonies ring with renewed horror as we continue to watch the unfolding nightmares of Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on the West Bank. They do so as we remember the worst attack upon Jews since the Holocaust as Hamas struck Israel on 7th October, 2023. Let them ring in our hearts as we think of the endless list of other places where atrocity and brutality has been unleashed: Sudan; Myanmar; Yemen; Ukraine; Russia; Syria; Afghanistan. On it goes, this endless flow of the teeming rivers of cruelty.
 
Not too many of our Christmas cards and nativity sets include this horror that comes as a sequel in Matthew to the baby born and the magi’s gifts. Actually, Matthew is giving us much more than a sequel. The killing of Bethlehem’s children is a direct consequence of the birth of the Messiah; the good news of salvation sung by angels finds its counterpoint in the bitter lamentation drifting over the shepherds’ fields as the soldiers ride away.
 
Studying this text, we can notice the foolishness of the ‘wise’ men, stoking the jealousy of a despotic king with blithe mention of a rival. We can notice the passing of time; Jesus could be two years old by the time the soldiers arrive. We saw, in the preceding verses, that dreams are playing their part: warning the magi not to go tell Herod anything, sending Mary, Joseph and Jesus fleeing for their lives into exile in Egypt.
 
But let us dwell upon the big news here. God chooses to be born into the terribly familiar world of violence and dictatorship. Fears and tears are the currency spent to keep many in power; regime survival the idol before which everything and everyone can be sacrificed. The Prince of Peace comes to disarm all of this armoury of cruelty, to overthrow this stifling disdain for human dignity. He calls us to play whatever part we might play in praying and working for goodness. 
 
Prayer
 
Lord, let us conspire with you.
Let us hear the weeping:
as civilians are trapped in war and terror,
as soldiers commit crimes against humanity,
as leaders refuse to seek peace or let aid arrive.
Let us conspire with your cause:
remembering victims and survivors otherwise forgotten,
pressing people in power to act well,
protesting the systems that oppress and dehumanise.
Let us join in your salvation of all.
Amen.