CHRISTMAS LOVE
Every year, I promised it would be different. Each December, I vowed to
make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. But, once again, in spite of
my plans, chaos prevailed. I had cut back on what I deemed nonessential
obligations: extensive card writing, endless baking, Martha Stewart
decorating, and, yes, even the all-American pastime, overspending. Yet
still I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family
moments, and, of course, the true meaning of Christmas.
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season
for a six-year-old, filled with hopes, dreams and laughter. For weeks, he'd
been memorizing songs for his school's upcoming Winter Pageant.
I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the
production. Not willing to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his
teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal in the morning, and
that all parents unable to attend the evening presentation were welcome to
enjoy it then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.
So, just as I promised, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the
cafeteria floor and sat down. When I looked around the room, I saw a
handful of parents quietly scampering to their seats. I began to wonder why
they, too, were attending a dress rehearsal, but chalked it up to the
chaotic schedules of modern family life.
As I waited, the students were led into the building. Each class,
accompanied by their teacher, sat crossed-legged on the floor. The children
would become members of the audience as each group, one by one, rose to
perform their song. Because the public school system had long stopped
referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than
fun, commercial entertainment. The Winter Pageant was filled with songs of
reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. The melodies were fun,
cute and lighthearted. But nowhere to be found was even the hint of an
innocent babe, a manger, or Christ's precious, sacred gifts of life, hope
and joy.
When my son's class rose to sing "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken
aback by its bold title. However, within moments, I settled in to watch
them proudly begin their number. Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his
classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters and bright snowcaps upon
their heads. Those in the front row, center stage, held up large letters,
one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing "C
is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for
Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his or her portion had
presented the complete message, "Christmas Love."
The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her, a small,
quiet girl in the front row holding the letter M, upside-down! She was
entirely unaware that reversed, her letter M appeared as a W. She fidgeted
from side to side, until she had moved away from her mark entirely. The
audience of children snickered at this little one's mistake. In her
innocence, she had no idea they were laughing at her and stood tall, proudly
holding her W.
You can only imagine the difficulty in calming an audience of young,
giggling children. Although many teachers tried to shush them, the laughter
continued. It continued that is, until the moment the last letter was
raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes
began to widen. In that instant, we finally understood the reason we were
there, why we celebrated in the first place, why even in the chaos, there
was a purpose for our festivities. For, when the last letter was held high,
the message read loud and clear, "CHRIST WAS LOVE." And, I believe, He
still is.
(author unknown)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- JENKENS & GILCHRIST E-MAIL CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE -
This transmission may be: (1) subject to the Attorney-Client Privilege, (2)
an attorney work product, or (3) strictly confidential. If you are not the
intended recipient of this message, you may not disclose, print, copy or
disseminate this information. If you have received this in error, please
reply and notify the sender (only) and delete the message. Unauthorized
interception of this e-mail is a violation of federal criminal law.
<<attachment: christmas6-manger-scene.jpg>>
