We’re putting the last of the turkey leftovers in the
freezer, pulling the Christmas decorations out of the closet, and I’m about to
post a festive new blog banner. I actually did it way back in July. How’s
that for long term planning?
The Christmas Season is upon us.
To that end, I’m helping to direct the children’s Christmas play
at church this year.
We have our challenges.
The shepherds have a disposition to shoot down the aisle
early preempting Mary’s “Away in the Manger” solo. One lamb would rather be with
his mom than a bunch of diminutive sheepherders, so he tries to slip the clutch
of his handler. And it seems that in the spirit of the classic children’s story
by Barbara Robinson, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, we may find ourselves with a ham on the altar the evening of the
performance. (If somehow you missed The Best
Christmas Pageant Ever, find a copy and read it to any kids you can round
up. It will definitely unlock the child in you, too.)
But, despite the crowd control issues, there are poignant
moments when these precious kids who have a grip on my heart have me dissolving into tears almost making me forget who I’m
supposed to cue on stage.
All this has made me reflect on the original cast. I can see
many opportunities for things to have gone haywire then, too.
Instead of saying, “Be it unto me even as you have said,”
Mary could have told God she wasn’t going to the prom carrying an infant. After
learning of Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph could’ve simply defriended her. After
recovering from their angelic appearance shock, the shepherds might have sought
greener pastures--in the opposite direction of Bethlehem. And the Wise Men? They
could’ve thought it wiser to keep their distance from a baby who had Herod in
such an uproar.
But God was the original long-term planner.
Somehow, from the beginning, God knew this motley bunch of
characters would play their part in the unfolding of a story that split
history.
He knew we’d need to see that ordinary people could play an extraordinary
part in God’s plan of redemption for the world.
And He knew a baby would change everything.
There’s a culminating moment in our pageant when we understand
that every line and action in the play points to the baby Jesus. All eyes are
on the infant King. That’s when I almost lose it.
God chose to become Jesus, a vulnerable, tiny person in the care
of a teenager and a carpenter, and included farmhands, astronomers, and
livestock in the celebration of His historical entrance. You gotta love a story
like that.
When life seems to be going off the rails, it’s a comfort to
know the God, who became one of us, sees, knows, and is always working even
through the difficult circumstances to accomplish His purpose.
So, the night of our pageant, if a ham shows up, it’ll be
okay. Because we’re going to be looking for Jesus, God with us, and there’s
nothing like a child to show us the way.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have
seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father,
full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).