“When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him.” (Matthew 2:3)
King Herod is threatened by the birth of Jesus, a baby.
That threat quickly becomes orders to put terrorizing soldiers in the streets. The birth of Jesus is wrapped up in the movements of an empire: a census that displaces people, kings who cling to power, soldiers who enforce their fear with violence. Mathew 2:3 is a reminder that Advent happens under occupation.
On October 23, I was shot in the face with a pepper round by a U.S. immigration agent while I stood in the line of fire at a peaceful prayer vigil in Oakland, California, alongside other faith leaders. I did not stand there for attention or confrontation. I stood there because my faith compels me to stand against systems that dehumanize people.
Rev. Jorge Bautista reacts after he was hit in the face by a pepper round from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent during a protest in Oakland, California, on Oct. 23, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
When federal agents turn their weapons on protesters, clergy who are praying and singing stand in front of their weapons in peaceful solidarity to expose the violence and fear that undergird these systems. Our presence as pastors, rabbis, imams, and lay leaders is meant to be a moral mirror. It says to the world: “This is not normal.” Communities of faith will not be silent while migrants are treated as disposable, while soldiers are deployed to our residential streets.
For me, being in that line is an act of love and lament. It is a way of saying to migrants and to anyone experiencing injustice, “We see you. We will not abandon you. We will not allow this violence to become a routine.” I believe that as a Christian, I am part of a long tradition of faith-rooted resistance that insists our shared humanity is sacred, even when the state tries to deny it and sends soldiers to the streets.
To me, Advent is not a denial of danger. It is a stubborn, dangerous hope that God is already at work in the places the empire would rather erase. Jesus is born where soldiers patrol. Jesus is born into a neighborhood where parents clutch their children tighter when they hear the boots and engines of soldiers. No amount of militarization can keep God out, because we will continue to resist King Herods of the world.
Rev. Jorge Bautista is a pastor at College Heights Church, a United Church of Christ congregation in San Mateo, California.
NOTE: This is part of our Unsettling Advent devotionals running Nov. 30-Dec. 24. You can subscribe for free and receive them each morning in your inbox.
