Even though Christmas is over for most of us now, the story of the birth of a small, wondrous child is alive. The manger scene may now be stored away in many of our homes, put in a box until next year. But the living manger scenes are all still with us, with desperately poor people the world over finding "no room at the inn," giving birth to their children in "mangers," and fearing for their childrens’ lives under the rule of modern-day "Herods."

Still with us too are the other characters of the manger scene--including the "three kings" who come from far away to bring great gifts to this small, poor child. The coming of these royal visitors is known in many religious traditions as Epiphany. Epiphany, celebrated January 6, is a time when we can participate in the joy, wonder, and transformation the "three kings" experienced. It is also a time to consider the parallels between then and now.

The story is told in Matthew 2. Herod, king of Judea at the time, had heard that a "king" had been born in Bethlehem. Of course, he was very upset by this challenge to his power. Herod calls the three kings to him and asks them to go and find the child so that he could "destroy" him. The wise men find the newborn, present this poor family with great gifts, and are filled with joy, so much moved by the spirit of life and love that they disobey the orders of Herod and disappear. Soon after, Joseph and Mary, knowing Herod wants to kill Jesus, also flee to safety. Having been tricked, Herod becomes furious, and orders all male children under the age of 2 in the area to be killed.

Today we have our own holy births, Herods, and wise people. The time, places, and people are different, but the story is much the same.

In Iraq today, right now, there is a child being killed by a Herod. This child is as wondrous and joyful as the Christ child was. This child is dying from preventable diseases such as diarehhea, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, or is dying from starvation. This child’s mother and father cannot flee to safety, though. There is nowhere safe to go. All of Iraq suffers. And this child is one of 5,000 who will die this month. The sword that kills these children is not wielded by individual soldiers, as in the Bible story. Now the sword is faceless. The sword is U.S. policy: the sanctions against Iraq prevent the repair of water treatment plants, force families into poverty and malnutrition, and make simple medicines like antibiotics nearly impossible to find. The sword is a weapon of mass destruction. It is biological warfare.

As in the Bible story, there are also wise people who have come to witness the lives of children of Iraq, disobeying the Herod of U.S. policy. These people have made the pilgrimmage, just as the three kings did, except their gifts to the children are medicines and hospital supplies. They travel to Iraq with a sense of mercy and compassion "for the least among these." They travel with a sense of determination to do what little they can to help a few children. And they travel with a sense of resistance to "Herod’s policy," risking the wrath of punishment.

We don’t really know what happened to the three kings in the Bible story after they fled. Today’s wise people we do know about, though. Four men from the Northwest have been charged with violating Herod’s policy and are being fined over $10,000 each for the "crime" of delivering medical supplies to Iraq’s children. The group that sponsored their trip, Voices in the Wilderness, is being fined over $120,000 for the same "crime."

Some questions need to be asked: What kind of nation are we when we implement a policy against Iraq that Herod would be proud of? What kind of nation are we when we engage in biological warfare against innocent people? What kind of nation are we when we prosecute those wise people, much like the three kings, who courageously and mercifully deliver life-saving medicines to the children of Iraq?