Christmas

The Wondrous Awe of Christmas

“Come!” they told me…

“A newborn King to see!”

“Our finest gifts we bring…”

“To lay before the King!”

“So, to honor Him when we come.”

Children love Christmas. There’s something about the season that grabs their attention. They love the presents – both giving and receiving them; the trees; the lights; the decorations; the music. Over the years, I’ve realized more and more that the greatest reason children love Christmas is because they love the story of the baby Jesus, lying in the manger. It’s an idea that seems to speak in a peculiar way to their innocent hearts; a story that captures their imagination and holds it. Children long to connect to this amazing moment in time when God sent a Child. There’s an unusual wonder to it.

Little baby…

I am a poor boy too.

I have no gift to bring

That’s fit to give our King.

“Shall I play for you on my drum?”

As we grow older, we lose a bit of that wonder. It’s tempting to become a little more cynical and make Christmas about expensive gifts and fancy family trips and elaborate productions at church to commemorate the holiday. When we do that, we unintentionally communicate a lie to the children in our lives. We lead them to believe that their innocence and excitement for the birth of the Messiah is too simple. We make them believe that their wonder of the God who became a baby isn’t enough. That their offering to the newborn King is less than He deserves.  That their worship is a gift unfit for the newborn King.

Mary nodded…

The ox and lamb kept time.

I played my drum for Him!

I played my best for Him!

Then, He smiled at me… me and my drum.

This Christmas, may we bring a word of reassurance; a soft smile of approval; a gentle nod of encouragement that inspires a child to offer up their most precious possession – their heart – in worship of the baby who would grow up to become King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In 25 years of ministry to children all around the world, EGM has seen that when this happens, the God who sent a Child on that Christmas morning 2,000 years ago gladly receives the worship of these precious children, and uses their gifts to rescue and heal the world around them. May we experience this wondrous awe of Christmas in a fresh way this year.

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