Luke 2:17-18 – When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. Everyone listened and was surprised.
Gratitude Day 917
When it comes to Christmas, we adults have something to learn from the kids of this world.
You see, they approach Christmas with wonder. Excitement. Like it’s THE. BEST. THING. IN. THE. WORLD.
They can’t wait for Christmas Eve. They are excited to open presents. They just keep a freshness in Christmas that I wished the rest of us did.
In nearly 25 years of ministry, I’ve had a few great stories of kids and Christmas.
Like the year Baby Jesus was stolen out of the manger.
Or the year the sheep got loose at the Live Nativity and one boy finally caught her.
At another Live Nativity, I vividly remember one shepherd coming back to the church from the barn so excited. Being a shepherd was THE BEST THING ever. Could he be one again the following year?
Why of course, you can.
There have been plenty of Children’s Christmas Programs that hijacked by a super cute angel or a wondering shepherd or a wiseman who didn’t want to give up his or her gift to Baby Jesus.
Here’s the deal. I don’t think we lose the wonder over Christmas because there is a lack of supply. Most of us have plenty of wonder. Just not for Christmas. We wonder if our favorite NFL team will make it to the playoffs. We wonder about the office gossip. Of course, there is plenty of wonder with every reality TV show. We wonder if there will be a year-end bonus.
It’s not a lack of supply that’s the problem with Christmas. It’s a lack of demand.
I get it. Some of us yearn for a slower, less demanding season. We don’t want to get caught up in the commercialism of Christmas. Neither do I. But I sure hope we don’t pack up Christmas before it even arrives in favor of granting all of our wonder to something else.
Can we be amazed when we hear the shepherds are totally caught off guard by a pack of caroling angels?
May we be amazed that a teenaged girl name Mary took everything in stride and went along with God’s ridiculous plan for her to birth the Savoir of the World?
Doesn’t a man named Joseph who inspire us to be the best version of ourselves that we can be?
Sometimes, we do it get it somewhat right. The story of the Winnebago Camper will always be a favorite Christmas memory. One reason being I watched my ADULT nieces and nephews plot and strategize how they might end up with the Winnebago Camper.
Earlier this week, I ran across the sweetest video that shows some kids from the Philippines portraying their interpretation of the Christmas story. It’s precious. It’s special. It’s worth the time to watch.
Did you see all of the smiles? The excitement? The anticipation of their role in telling the story?
Should we not bottle up their energy and wonder and infuse it into ourselves so we can approach Advent and Christmas with this same attitude?
Truth? I don’t always have the most childlike attitude. I’m the one who follows the rules and keeps things in order and makes sure A, B and C get done. And yes, there are days that I wished I could loosen up a bit. My challenge you and me this Advent and Christmas is to embrace a lot more wonder about the season. Be amazed with the stories once again. Approach all the parts of Christmas with a childlike desire to take it all in.
It’s not the supply of wonder that’s the problem. It’s the demand. Let’s increase the demand this year. I think it will be good for us all. Especially me.
For the challenge to be embrace a childlike attitude with wonder this Advent, I am very grateful.
Blessings –
Dianne
Holy God – help me increase my demand for wonder this Advent and Christmas. May I embrace a desire to capture all the wonder of the season that I can. Amen.
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One response
Dianne, this is exactly what we have planned for our Advent this year: WONDER. We are going to the Christmas Pageant at the Capitol tomorrow. I have been rehearsing with and will be singing in an informal Christmas choir December 17. We’re choosing between Tuba Christmas at the Capitol, or a Lessons and Carols service at the Episcopal Church in Baraboo 12/14. We’re taking an evening to visit the Rotary Lights in LaCrosse the week before Christmas, and plan to visit the lights display at Olin Park (and the whimsical giant Santa’s lining Monroe Street) in Madison one evening. This is our gift to ourselves, and to each other this year: experiencing the joy of the season!!
Best wishes and kindest regards for a Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Betti