Christ Lutheran Church
Cleveland, Ohio
December 28, 2025
by: Rev. Dean Kavouras

Holy Innocents
The Holy Innocent Savior Makes Us Holy And Innocent

After the Magi left Behold! an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to seek out the Child to kill him.” So he got up and took the child and his mother by night and left for Egypt; and remained there until the demise of Herod, so that the word of the Lord spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt have I called my Son.”

When Herod realized he had been had by the Magi his anger knew no bounds so that he sent orders to kill all the male children in Bethlehem and the surrounding district from two years old and below; based on the time he had determined from the Magi. Then the prophecy spoken by Jeremiah was fulfilled, “A voice was heard in Ramah, great yowling and mourning. Rachel wailing for her children, and refusing to be comforted because they were no more. (Mt. 2:13-19)

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Always remember that the church of Jesus Christ marches to the beat of a different drum. As proof the church remembers a profoundly painful event a few days after December 25th which is the most wonderful day of the year! The day that we mark the birth of our Lord in the flesh.

What a contrast!

The Lord’s incarnation is marked by the greatest possible joy the world over. It is celebrated by Christians with unparalleled gladness in every land, and spills over to unbelievers alike.

In the 4th century Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate who followed Constantine the Great, and Constantine the II, wanted to undo all the reforms that Constantine had accomplished; to free the church and to establish the gospel of Jesus Christ as the official religion of the mighty and far reaching Roman Empire. But he could not do it, and was finally forced to concede: “Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean”

A great deal of history has happened since then. But even in this late day of western paganism, this little child has the power to close down Wall Street, Walmart and even Dunkin’ Donut shops owned largely by Hindus who close their doors on Christmas because of this Holy Innocent whose mission is to make us Holy and Innocent.

Moreover, the gospel of Jesus Christ has inspired the finest music ever composed: the proof is in the procession of students that come to America from the Orient to learn the happiest music of all, inspired by the Lord’s incarnation. That God the Creator should assume human flesh in the Person of his Son Jesus Christ. That he who truly is Holy and Innocent should not only mingle with the likes of us, but take on our form, our nature, our sins (for he had none of his own), our sorrows, our diseases, our judgment and our death … All of this evokes the highest happiness there is.

So why, then, in the midst of the 12 days of Christmas does the church turn her attention to the Holy Innocents on December 28th, the first martyrs of the Holy Christian Religion.

We are not unfamiliar with the far reaching sorrow such an event can unleash. Most of us remember a similar event in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012. The mass murder of innocents. An event that put the entire nation into a stupor for weeks to come.

A few days after the event a waitress at a restaurant in Rocky River overheard customers discussing the event when suddenly she burst into uncontrollable weeping; and soon the entire restaurant turned momentarily silent, followed by a rising chorus the tears and moans and “Oh my God’s” from staff and customers alike.

Meanwhile back in Newtown CT the first responders were in desperate need chaplains – and to make matters worse the first responding chaplains heard and saw such terrible things that they needed chaplains and counselors of their own. But Jeremiah says it best. “Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted because her children were no more.”

But the big question is why introduce such sorrow in a time of such gladness? There is a certain logic to it.

First let all men know that our Lord was born to suffer and die. That was his mission. He did not come to receive precious gifts from men; but rather in his own words: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but the serve and to lay down his life as a ransom for many! (Lk 20:28) And Serve us he did with the Highest and Holiest Liturgy of all. The Liturgy of the cross wherein our High Priest offered his own body and soul as the sacrifice appointed to ransom lost souls from the ravishes of sin, devil and death.

And it is this same Word Made Flesh that bid his followers many times: “If any man would follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.”

Said another way we must never get too giddy though we have all the reason in the world to exult; nor should we become too discouraged even in the face of grisly events. Because life with Christ in this world is a balancing act.

Our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Services were simply delightful And today is yet another day of celebration and song. While across the world many Christians are being slaughtered in Nigeria for their worship of the Holy Innocent Christ. “He who made himself sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Cor 5:18)

We call these children who were slaughtered by Herod the Holy Innocents. By their Innocent death for the sake of Christ they were made Holy. We could say they saved Jesus from death. Temporarily that is. Temporarily, so that “in the fullness of time” he might suffer the curse of our sin in order to rid the human heart of evil, the human intellect from the stygian darkness in which it dwells; and make us Holy as our Lord himself is holy. Not by our own stellar accomplishments, not by any means. But by the stainless, spotless life of obedience lived out by our Lord.

And surprisingly – to say the least – this callous event, caused NOT by God but by an evil human heart; was part of the Father’s plan to show that Jesus is the New and True Moses whose head also had a price on it, by another king. The king of Egypt which ironically was the place that the Lord escaped for safety.

Because by this event the entire gospel was unfolded according to the Father’s master plan; a design that is in full swing right here; right now; as the baptized offer their collective worship, prayer, praise and thanksgiving to their great God and Savior. And in so doing prepare to serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness in our heavenly home whether we should attain thereto on “flow’ry beds of ease,” or “sailing through bloody seas.” (TLH 445) Amen.