I noted yesterday that we were preparing forthe Feast of the Innocents, last night. We have come through that night and inthe gospel story there are children's dead bodies spread out around us. Thegospel writer quotes Jeremiah 31:15 "Thus says the Lord: A voice isheard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for herchildren."

I know this is not your normal Christmas story - although is the biblical Christmas story- it is hard to really appreciate thecoming of the Christ child without confronting the horrors of this world. So much of the Christian focus, erroneously,I would say, speaks to the after-life and ignores the present life. The hope of the Christ child is very muchrelated to the hope of what can change here on earth. Thy kingdom come, theywill be done, on earth, as it is inheaven. That's a main part of the Christ child's good news that we can be aboutGod's will for our life together now on the earth. A new day of peace and goodwill to all isupon us and upon all of our children. And our children are in deep need of somegood will.

The Children's Defense Fund has released itsState of America's Children 2008®Report, which they note is "a compilation of the most recent and reliablenational and state-by-state data on poverty, health, child welfare, and youthat risk, early childhood development, education, nutrition and housing. Thereport provides a statistical compendium of key child data showing epidemicnumbers of children at risk: the number of poor children has increased nearly 500,000to 13.3 million, with 5.8 million of them living in extreme poverty, and nearly9 million children lack health coverage --with both numbers likely to increaseduring the recession. The number of children and teens killed by firearms alsoincreased after years of decline."

(See and down load the report: http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=policyareas_stateamericaschildren_2008)

"Thenumber of poor children has increased nearly 500,000 to 13.3 million, with 5.8million of them living in extreme poverty." This is worth a cry of agony but after we have cried out like Rachel, letus step out of our place of wailing about our children and into the hope of anew day. That's part of what Christmas means, an opening of the heart to theChrist child and all children. An opening of the heart which, together with others,creates a place where all the children have their basic needs met and povertyis no longer. What would Jesus want for Christmas? I think that's at least partof the answer.