The editor blew it.
He must not have been paying attention. Didn’t read the copy to the end.
How else could he have let Matthew tell the story of the birth of Christ the way he did?
It should have ended with the Wise Men presenting their gifts and  adoring the Christ Child, the Star brightly shining above. That’s the way Christmas Pageants end, along with an angelic choir singing Handel’s Glory to God.
But Matthew’s story doesn’t end that way.
It ends with Bethlehem wailing over the murder of their new born sons.
The Christ Child?
He’s now a fugitive.
Prince of Peace – welcome.
Why in the world would Matthew tell us the tragic story found in Matthew 2:13-23? Why is that story essential to understanding the coming of Christ?
What about this story can shape in us a real faith that connects us to what God was doing in sending Jesus, that connects us to what God is doing now?
A make-believe faith that reflects the tone of Andy Williams would be fine with me.Â
So, what are you saying to us God?
This Sunday.