A good friend (@ianjukes) tweeted about attending a Panto (holiday pantomime play) the other day and it stuck in my head sufficiently so that I had time to ponder British Christmas traditions and ultimately make a subconscious connection to today's carol – the Coventry Carol.

Coventry refers to the actual town which dates back close to year 1000 AD and the Coventry Carol was performed there as part of The Pageant of The Shearman and Tailors, a 15th century nativity play. This carol dates back to the 1500's and was sung during the "Annunciation to the Massacre of the Innocents" which refers to a section in Matthew 2:1–16 –

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.”

The Associates for Biblical Research provides a fantastic background on this event. Ultimately (as of December 20, 2009) we have to take this event completely on faith. While the detractors would line up to hurl intellectual insults at us, I am positively ecstatic that there is no corroborating evidence (yet). If the existence of the Almighty and the Presence of the Most Holy God was able to be recorded by scientific instruments, it would diminish the Miraculous and reduce faith to a mere theorem in a textbook.

God has made His relationship with Him personal. He is my LORD and Saviour as much as He is our LORD and Saviour. God the Father sent His only Son to save me as much as He did to save us. This cannot be explained through careful lab experiments or the analysis of non-Biblical historical texts. When we as individuals finally decide to stop being the god of our own tiny, little world, we open our hearts to finally acknowledge the sacrifice of this tiny, little child. If it is not truly humbling to you, may this Christmas season give you sufficient rest and pause to recognize the depth of God's love.

Herod's despicable decree caused a bona fide crisis in the region at that time. While innocents were subjected to mortal wounds, their parents were left to grieve for a loss that can never be replaced. All to preserve an earthly rule which did come to an end.

I sincerely urge you to take time this Christmas to fully comprehend the profound love the Father has for you and to read that passage in Matthew with fresh eyes, with full empathy for the host of grieving parents and with full celebration in the eternal life we have in Christ.