Second Sunday after Christmas

This Sunday which only occurs four out of seven years has tended to be neglected. Christmastide is winding down, and Epiphany is not yet here. The collect and lessons reflect this interim quality. The collect refers to the light of the Incarnation and moves on to the light shining forth in our lives. The Gospel continues from the account of Holy Innocents in St. Matthew 2. It reminds us of the dangers to the Christ Child from worldly rulers. And this in turn leads us to another aspect of His humility, growing up in a Galilean village rather than in a royal Judean city.