Have you HEARD the post Christmas story?

I'm in church this morning sitting with the congregation instead of in the choir loft. The little children go forward for their story and the minister tells them, I mean really tells them, the story of Herod killing all the babies under two years of age. Now why would you tell little children this story?
I guess it was my shock that made me really hear the story for the first time.
The Wise Men go to Herod to ask the whereabouts of the child they are looking for. When they tell Herod this child will become a king he asks them to return after they have found him and let Herod know, so he can go worship him. Of course God intercedes and tells the Wise Men to go home a different way. When Herod realizes he has been duped he commands that all babies under the age of 2 be murdered. Jesus is saved because God sends an angel to warn Joseph in a dream and they escape to Egypt (the other place God let babies be killed).

So today I hear that God saved his son, and lets the other children die.

I also started to think about the likelihood that Herod couldn't find the child without the help of the Wise Men. (and why didn't he just have them followed?) So in this small country, in a little town, in a stable, a baby is born, under the light of a star so bright that Kings are following it from far lands. Subsequently the sky is filled with a crowd of angels singing praises and shepherds come down from the hillside to see what's going on. All of this in a town filled to overflowing with people from all over.

Don't you think even using word of mouth the news of what was going on would have reached Herod? Or did he just ignore the intelligence reports?

Saturday morning cops.

   8a.m. Sat. I'm taking my daughter to work. We're enjoying a nice conversation and a leisurely drive through campus where the streets are for once empty because most of the kids have gone home(?) for the holidays and besides they aren't up that early. What a pleasure to be able to actually enjoy the beauty of the campus without fear that 50-100 college kids, old enough to know better, will dart out into the road at a moments notice. Actually "dart" is way too active a statement, this should be "meander" out into the roadway like a stoned flock of sheep, focused only on their ipod, cell phone or whatever. 

   Sorry, I got distracted. This is a sore and hot topic for me. Forget school zones and crossing guards at elementary schools, any five year old knows how to cross a street better than these college kids, we need crossing guards on campus.

   Anyway, so a bored campus police officer pulls me over because I didn't use my turn signal when pulling into a parking lot off of a deserted street. Now I deserved it, but..... (A) What takes you so long back there in your cop car? and (B) was the coffee klotch with the three other bored campus officers who drove by really necessary?

When you finally came up with my ticket and then asked if I had any questions (damn right I do but I'm not stupid enough to actually ask them and give you something else to fill out your morning and brag about back at the station (do campus cops have a station?) when you bust me for being uncooperative and surly (of course I'm surly, it's 8 a.m. and I need a cup of coffee!) I wanted to ask, "Do you ever hand out tickets to the multitudes of pedestrians committing traffic violations and creating hazardous driving conditions? If you really wanted to fill your quota, make some money in fines, AND improve the quality and safety of everyone on campus, I'd suggest that. One day a month (bring a couple of extra ticket books) and you could meet your quota, bring in a ton of fines, and stop a lot of accidents. I bet within one semester the problems would be virtually erased.