Merry Christmas!
4 January 2026, 2nd Sunday of Christmas
Christmas seems tough for Anglicans. We diligently go through Advent, focusing on the coming of Christ in judgment and glory. We sing no carols until Christmas Eve. We’ve waited for this, and it is sweet!
And then: December 26, the stoning of Stephen. The first Sunday after Christmas, the Feast of the Holy Innocents. Terror surrounds the joy of Christmas. Terror disrupts our world. The jolt is painful: can we not have more respite?
I need a robust Christmas to stand in the midst of this. I need glory. I need awe. I need the shock and reassurance of the incarnation. I do not need sentiment or sacchrine displays. How I long for the reminder that the war is won, though the battles continue.
May we see the resurrected Jesus in this dark time, and tell one another that the power of darkness is broken! Amen.
Yes! Your post reminds me of this music that is very rarely performed. Many years ago the Oakland Girl's Choir performed it and it has been my antedote to the dumb saccharine Christmas music. I love how it frames the Nativity as a cosmic battle.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ILAtV_8HgU0
Amen, amen, James. Love 'robust Christmas'. I have been celebrating the 12 days, and this reminds me to continue heartily until the end!