What I’m listening to: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer by Elmo and Patsy

We are on day 22 of our advent series!! As always, if you’re new, be sure to check out my previous posts in the series. The first post also has some additional information about our Advent devotionals. Now let’s dive back into Matthew!

 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 (NIV)

Today’s verses come from one of the darkest moments in the Christmas story. Perhaps the slaughter of innocents was a symbol of the struggle the Lord’s children would face in the coming years, and in many cases continue to fight today. For the last two days we’ve been talking about the first two gifts from the Magi. Today we’ll be talking about the final gift: myrrh. Myrrh was used as a  anointing oil, a symbol of Jesus’s future death for us. It may have also served as a sign of the massacre described here in Matthew that the baby Jesus would narrowly escape. While it can be hard sometimes to understand why God lets bad things happen, we must always remember that there is a reason. We may not understand that reason, but we do not have to. We only have to trust that our loving God understands the rationale behind it. 

Prayer Prompt: Pray for Christians facing persecution this Christmas season, that the Lord will protect them as well as guide them in the new year.