It is said Christmas is for children. Children are happy and eager at Christmas. They have waited for this holy night when we sing the special songs and proclaim the Word telling of the birth of our Savior.. But it is also true Christmas is only for children.
No one is so grown up that he or she has outgrown the love of their Heavenly Father. Even if you are old, the clear wonderful story of God who became a child is not too childish. To grow up in Jesus actually means becoming more and more a child.
"Oh, Come, Little Children; Oh, Come One and All" is not just a call to the young but an invitation to "come one and come all." Come, join the children. Be a child. -- So, what is a child?
A child is one who loves to tell. A child just can't hold a secret. I had a little girl who once came home with her mommy and said, "Daddy, we didn't have our picture taken today for your Christmas present." We children love to tell.
At Orphan Grain Train--Michigan we Christians tell the happiest story ever was. It’s about God's gift to all the world. God gave us our Savior Jesus who set us free from all sin and sadness. God's children love to tell.
Secondly, children love to play. Children love to act out many things. Pretend to be an animal like a sheep or donkey. Pretend to be an angel or shepherd. At Christmas, all God's children, young and old, play the role of angels. We sing of God's love and rejoice telling all the world of the joy of Christ.
We act out being shepherds, ordinary folks who wonder at God's goodness that you don't have to be an important person or a rich person or a smart person to understand God cares for everyone. Children portray Mary or Joseph kneeling by Jesus' manger and worshiping him as Lord.
You and I can even play the part of the Baby Jesus by seeing God first in all mercy care and loving one another above all else as He loved us.
One more thing makes a child. God means for us to understand his love.
Children practice hard in school to learn and understand things. It takes work to remember names, numbers, and the alphabet. Little children may not even know the names of their mommy or daddy, but children can understand their love. Children respond to love. God's children respond to God's love. Those who can't are too grown up to see Jesus' love is meant for them.
Jesus was once Himself a little child. Christmas is His birthday. Christmas is God choosing to join His children as a child, to live, to die, and to rise again for us that we may trust Him with a child's faith.
-- Michigan Branch Manager, Pastor Dave Reed
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