HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!

Nine.  9.  N-I-N-E.  A single digit.  That’s how many days it is until Christmas is here.  When someone tells you that the older you get, the faster time passes, BELIEVE them.  It is the truth.  Where has time gone?  The last few weeks, time and life seems to have overtaken me.  Busy, busy, busy.   I have no wrapped gifts under my tree.  I usually have it ALL done by now. 

My little Sunday School class of two and three year olds celebrated the season last Sunday with a “Happy Birthday, Jesus!” party and invited their parents to be our guests.  We had our regular routine of attendance star application, a time of getting rid of wiggles, a song (Happy birthday to you, dear Jesus), our prayer, lesson, gifts, food….just a fun Sunday School time.  These kids are such a blessing to me every Sunday morning.  Here’s a visual of our Sunday class time.

Tonight I was reflecting as I was writing a couple of last minute cards.  I chose to send these folks the same cards I sent to my Sunday School children—a card with characters from “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.  Let me tell you that there are a lot of things I love about Christmas—even when I’m busy.  There’s nothing sweeter than  children’s little voices singing “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed.  The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head…”  Jerks my tears every time.  Another thing that gets me is in the “Charlie Brown Christmas” when Charlie Brown (isn’t it funny that he’s never just Charlie, but always Charlie Brown?) asks “Doesn’t anyone know what Christmas is about?”  And then shepherd Linus begins to speak.  When he quotes the “Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people...for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord”,  I get all teary-eyed again.  Every.  Single.  Time. 

Each Sunday since Thanksgiving, I’ve taught my little class the Christmas story.  I figure with little ones, repetition is good and after all, it is Christmas.    Shucks, sometimes adults need repetition.  To help the story come alive, the past two Sundays I’ve used my child’s nativity.  The children "help" tell the story with "hands-on" experience.

As I put the Joseph and Mary in place in the stable, I thought about them as parents.  They both had to be somewhat scared, I would think.  But with the fear of the unknown and circumstances came trust in what the angel had said and what God had promised.  Youngsters they were.  Becoming parents to God’s own son.  Amazing.   I would think that when they were in that stable and Jesus was lying in that manger, there had to be such a spirit-filled warmth like no other.  The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. 

Then there were those shepherd guys out on the dark hillside.  Imagine their fear when the angel appeared and told them to “fear not”.   I always thought if I could choose someone to be in this story, it would be a shepherd.  Shepherds there on that hillside, probably poor, dirty, and tired.  Then all of a sudden getting the good news from angels that a Savior is born.  I love it that the shepherds were willing to “go and see” and then to “go and tell others”.   I’ve often said, though, that if I think about it, I have been like those shepherds because years ago as a child, I bowed at an altar and “found the Lord” and accepted him as MY Savior.  I know how those shepherds felt.  Joy.  Great joy that they found the Lord!

With my little class, we also use the wise men but I never think as much about them for one reason or another.  I do think of their gifts.  Costly gifts fit for a king.  Jesus only wants gifts of ourselves.  As I tell my little class, gifts of love, sharing, peace, joy…the list goes on and on.  And, too, I always remember that Jesus is THE gift and brings all those to us who love Him. 

The story of that first Christmas never gets old.  It’s new over and over again, be it December or the middle of July.   And as Linus says, “THAT'S what Christmas is all about!”

I say, "Amen"!