Christmas is over. The angels, magi and shepherds have departed. Joseph, Mary and Jesus have gone back home to Nazareth. End of story. Yet, is it?
The Christmas carol, “Good Christian Friends, Rejoice”, proclaims “Christ was born for this!” But what is “this”? What does it mean on this chilly, gray day in January, 2026.
To me it means breaking a promise that I made to myself, and thus also to you, nine years ago, when I began writing this blog. That commitment stemmed from my years as a preacher; that I would never “take sides” politically, and that church and state would be kept separate.
I am breaking this promise now. I can no longer remain silent.
This morning I stood with at least a thousand people on an icy church lawn. We were there to mourn Renee Nicole Good, a young mother murdered last Wednesday in Minneapolis by the federal government; shot in her car by an agent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). By my government, our government. We sang “We Shall Overcome”, we listened as the names of everyone murdered by ICE were read aloud. Then we walked through our town center, carrying posters of resistance, protest and unbearable grief. We shall overcome, we vowed. Shall we? Will we? Can we? How long, O Lord, how long?
Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoller was an early sympathizer of the right wing government in Nazi Germany in the 1920s and ’30s, but, after Hitler came to power, he spoke out against it. He was imprisoned in concentration camps from 1937-1945. Afterwards, he wrote these well-known words, which seem to have arisen from a repenting heart:
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
Neither am I a communist, socialist or trade unionist. I am not an immigrant. I am not a person of color. I am, instead, a wealthy, privileged straight white woman of impeccable Anglo-European Christian ancestry; in other words, a WASP. So they have not come for me…yet. Not yet. However, I am also a left-wing progressive, a social activist and a member of a liberal main-line church, committed to justice and the belief that “God shows no partiality”, that all people, all people are created equal. However, it’s not because I fear that someday they will “come for me”, it’s because, very simply, when someone is murdered in cold blood, by my government, it is long past time for me to speak out. That’s what Renee Nicole Good was doing when she was murdered. She and her wife came to the rally in solidarity with her neighbors who were being targeted by ICE.
Yes, Christmas is over. Which means our work has just begun. Because Christmas is not only about a baby and some lambs and angels. Christmas is about a time when a murderous king set out to kill all the baby boys in Judea because he was terrified of losing his kingship. King Herod was a puppet of the Roman Empire and you can bet he wanted to hang on to that power and privilege; hang on to all the wealth and adulation due him as a pawn of the ruling party. Herod saw threats everywhere. He was a weak, narcissistic sociopath, intent on slaying anyone and anything that stood in his way. That part of the Christmas story is sometimes called “The Slaughter of the Innocents”. That part of the story happened last Wednesday in Minneapolis.
The story of Christmas is for times like this. A story for everyone, of any or of no faith, that calls us to stand up, speak out and stop the slaughter of all the innocents. May we have the courage and conviction for times like this.
7 Responses
Beautifully written, courageous, and clearly straight from your heart.
Thank you.
Dear Polly.
You have called this just as it is. Well said !!
Who said, “All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.” ?
Thinking it may have been Edmund Burke or John Stuart Mill but whoever it was, we must all do whatever we can, wherever we can that all beings may have the basics of safety and that which is necessary to sustain life. Thank you for your always thoughtful “papers.” Ellie
Polly, thank you for your reflection
We must all do our part.So I also pray that we are an embodiment of our of goodwill.
Your activism and ability to communicate it connects with Martin Luther King’s, whose birthday will be commemorated this Wednesday, January 15. That provides an opportunity to keep passing it along, making a chain without either beginning or end– a living video that can be replayed.
Wow! I saw your email and immediately thought am so ready for another of Polly’s inspiring, thought provoking posts. And did I get it; not quite the quieting peaceful message that I so often love reading but another wake up and pay attention call. Thank you
Beautifully put, Polly. I’m looking forward to picking you up to go demonstrate at the ICE detention center in Burlington! Together, we can do this ~
I missed this till now Polly, but I so appreciate your ability to put into words the gravity of current politics and life. We too participated in an ICE rally recently and are thankful to see the presence of teens and younger people. I pray we find ways to speak up and work to
address our need for change in our country with a stop to these ICE tactics which are so wrong!and much more!