Christmas From the Perspective of a Child

   Last Christmas Eve I sat in the back of my church watching all the people walk in. it was dark except for the Christmas lights up front and the light from the candles around the church. Before the service started I was reading, but then I looked up. I saw one of my preschoolers. She looked at me shyly, put one hand up to her mouth, and the other hand quickly grabbed for her mother’s hand. Her mom said, “look it’s Miss Scheuing. Are you going to say hi?” Quickly the little girl looked up at me and said “hi.” I smiled at her and said “hi, Merry Christmas.” Her family then sat in the pew diagonally in front of me.

   The service then began. During the service the little girl kept looking back at me. She also looked around the church. Finally I saw her staring at the manger. Her eyes seemed to be filled with wonder and excitement. I heard her ask her mom: “where is the baby Jesus?” Her mom explained that Jesus was coming the next day.

   I couldn’t help but smile at her childlike wonder. Here was a child not asking about when Santa was coming; but asking when Jesus was coming. I marveled at the innocence and wonder this child had on Christmas Eve. And then I wondered, when did I lose that innocence and wonder?

   I don’t know about you but I feel like sometimes we take the Christmas season and story for granted. We forget to have Childlike wonder toward a story that is the reason why we are saved. I feel like it is a sad fact that people forget the reason for the season; and how important it is that Jesus came. Because, without the manger and Jesus’ birth there would be no cross, without the cross there would be no tomb, without the tomb there would be no resurrection, without the resurrection there would be no salvation, and without salvation there would be no need for the second coming of Christ.

   We need to look at the Christmas story with wonder because it began the climax to the greatest story in history.

   So, how have you been viewing the story of Jesus’ birth? Do you still have childlike wonder when it comes to stories in the Bible?

   Matthew 18:3, Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:7