Our Advent series is called "Christmas Footnotes [1]" where we’re listening for the voices in the Christmas story that often go unheard.
Today’s passage takes us to one of the hardest moments of that story. When Herod learns that a new king has been born, fear turns to violence, and the cries of Bethlehem’s children fill the night.
It’s not an easy text to hear, but it’s an honest one. It reminds us that Jesus was born into a world marked by both wonder and deep sorrow. And it tells us that God did not stay distant from that pain. God entered it. God still does.
Let’s listen to this difficult, holy story from Matthew’s Gospel.
