December 17:
B.C. verse: Luke 2: 15-18
A.D. verse: Psalm 9:1b-2; Psalm 40:5
Christmas hymn: “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
Hymn for today: “Amazed” by Kutless
On Saturday, we celebrated ThanksChristmas with my side of the family.
Just as soon as we arrived and brought gifts into the house, Wy, our 3 year old
nephew, was chomping at the bit to open presents. He quickly ate his lunch and
patiently waited while all the dishes were taken care of. After the obligatory
pictures had been taken, and the annual poem had been read, it was finally time
to get down to business.
Suddenly, there was a “Ho, ho, ho” in the stairway. Wy’s eyes were as
big as saucers as Santa made his way to the basement with his ginormous bag. Even
though he wasn’t so sure at first, it didn’t take Wy long to assist Santa in
emptying his bag.
As I watched him, Wy reminded me of Erika not so long ago. While Erika
had never officially seen Santa, she
believed in his existence until she was something like a fourth or fifth
grader. She was always amazed to wake up and find bites out of the cookies and
half-glasses of milk. Any question marks she had about the whole concept were
wiped clean when she found her stack of gifts under the tree. Santa HAD to have
brought them because the wrapping paper he used was nowhere to be found in the
house.
Say what you will about the whole Santa controversy; it’s just one
example in which adults try to maintain child-like innocence for as long as
possible. As we know all too well, disappointment is a bitter pill to swallow,
and we would rather not like to rush that “first” when it comes to our kids.
The simple joy they get in believing is just as much for us as it is for them.
Somewhere along the way in becoming adults, we lose our child-like
acceptance (whether it’s Santa or something else). Believing is no longer
enough; we get demanding and have to “see it in order to believe it.”
Apparently, the shepherds suffered from this same sort of skepticism. “When
the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go
to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing had
has happened, which the Lord has told us about’” (Luke 2: 15). It seems as
though the angel’s message was not enough; they wanted to see it for
themselves.
Then, “After seeing him, the
shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them
about this child” (Luke 2:17). There it is again; after tangible proof, the
shepherds were on the move to tell anyone they could find.
If believing is such a simple joy (and I believe it is), then why do we
make it so complicated? The simple explanation is that the world around us embraces
logic, reason, and common sense. While these are all important, I believe that
they were not originally intended to be the most important ingredients in
decision-making and living. A simple, child-like faith was supposed to be the
priority, but as has been historically shown , we humans have managed to turn
everything upside down from the way God intended.
So as adults, are we doomed to
never again experience the wonder and joy of simple belief? I guess that
question can only be answered by each individual. For example, if one puts a
seed into the ground, s/he can believe that when a plant pushes through the
soil, it is the result of a complete scientific process only, or s/he can
believe that there is a Master Creator who designed and ensured the perfection
of the scientific process. I know which belief brings me joy; how about you?
The response to this joy is to do what the shepherds did – to do what I
am doing right now – and that is to share that joy with anybody who will
listen. “I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be
filled with joy because of you, O Most High” (Psalm 9:1b-2).
“O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for
us are too numerous to list. You have no equal.”
Daily Challenge: Spend some time at an animal shelter or make a
donation ($ or goods) to one.
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