On the Second Day of Christmas
by Pastor Walter Snyder

Yesterday was Christmas Day. Today is a mess of wrapping paper, ribbon, and credit card bills.
Yesterday was relaxing with family and friends. Today is back to work for many people.
Yesterday was the celebration of the Babe in the manger. Today, "peace on earth" and "good will
toward men" are but a memory for many.

The holiday (holy day) of Christmas comes with great anticipation, yet leaves all too quickly. The
Feast of the Nativity is scarcely over before miniature nativity sets are put away. The close of the
birthday party for the Light of the Nations sees many folks packing away their twinkling lights.
The coming of the Son of God in human flesh fades as the sun sets on the evening of the twenty-
fifth of December.

Why do we rush to see Christmas end? Today marks only the Second Day of Christmas. After
this, we still have ten more. The days immediately following Christmas are sometimes called the
"Witness Days." The Greek word for "witness" is "martyr," and these days remind us that this
sinful world hates the Gospel message of forgiveness in Christ Jesus. December twenty-sixth is St.
Stephen's Day remembering the first recorded martyr of the Christian Church. Stephen knew the
gift of Christmas: His Lord had come in human flesh to bring forgiveness. And just as Jesus
forgave His killers on the cross, so Stephen forgave those whose stones smashed away his life.

The twenty-seventh is the Day of St. John, the Apostle. He didn't die for the Faith, but was
exiled. Yet in exile, he was granted the wondrous vision of heaven that is recorded in Scripture.

We remember more deaths on the twenty-eighth. Holy Innocents' Day commemorates the
slaughter of Bethlehem's children by Herod, as he attempted to destroy the Usurper to his throne.
Stephen, John, and the Innocents remind us that not all receive the Gift of Christmas with joy.
However, God's plan of salvation spreads in spite of hatred. Even today, much of the world
actively rejects the Gospel and persecutes those who preach and live it. But the Christian Church
continues to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness in Christ because any place that acts this
way proves its need of the message we bear.

Do death and exile make the days after Christmas Day gloomy and depressing? They may, since
Stephen's murder, the slaughter of Bethlehem's children, and the rejection suffered by John testify
not only against a sin-filled creation but also against our own sins. Yet these days remain special
reminders of what our Savior came to overthrow. God's Word of forgiveness gives us life and
hope. As believers, we cry with our brothers and sisters around the world who are persecuted for
the sake of Jesus. Yet even more, we rejoice with them, for they and we alike have the sure and
certain promise of life eternal in Christ our Lord.

Some complain about dragging all this "blood and violence" into the beauty of Christmas. But
Jesus was born flesh and blood, and if we ignore the violence that was done both to Him and to
others because of Him, we are not fully prepared to face this world. His blood shed for us on
Calvary becomes the lifeblood of the world in his Supper. The blood of the martyrs reminds us to
be faithful unto death, so we, too, might receive the crown of life. The violence done to Christ
Jesus was not repaid, but taken in silence, that He might be our Prince of Peace. The martyrs
realized this, and followed where He led. Through their deaths, unbelievers saw the light of truth
and came to life in Christ. "Joy to the world" cannot be drowned out by Satan's threats. Even the
red decorations and swirls in our candy canes were originally intended to remind us of His blood
shed for us, as beauty and sweetness spring forth from savagery and bitterness.

While we find peace in meditating upon a Baby lying in a manger or nursing at His mother's
breast, we also know "the rest of the story." The Baby grew and matured. He entered this world
knowing what pains awaited him. He entered into His years of ministry knowing that the cross
would end His preaching and teaching. He called disciples to follow, knowing that they would
desert Him. He taught the truth of God's love, knowing that it would foster hatred in many
religious leaders. He did all this and more, knowing and accepting the consequences. Now, an
even greater peace is ours, for Jesus has won peace between us and God.

On that first Christmas, God pulled the wraps off of a present he'd been saving for all eternity.
Yet the Gift of Jesus is still a puzzle to many. God grant that we who enjoy the fullness of His
mercy would remember to give this gift to others, that they, too, might believe and be saved. May
the Witness Days encourage us to also be faithful witnesses of God's truth and His love. Merry
Christmas today and through the rest of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

To Ask the Pastor, please write Ask the Pastor, PO Box 12, Emma, MO, 65327 or send email
to askthepastor@aol.com. Find old columns at members.aol.com/askthepastor on the internet.

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of
the book "What Do Lutherans Believe."

Ask the Pastor, copyright 2001 by Walter P. Snyder. It may be reproduced in totality, including
this disclaimer, by anyone, provided that no profit is generated by said republication and
redistribution. Translations into other languages should similarly note the United States
and any appropriate international copyrights, as well as God's Scriptural injunctions
concerning the property of others.