“And Mary pondered these things in her heart”. Luke 2:19
In my elementary school, we had a school Christmas pageant that was presented by the sixth graders each year. Nothing hokie about it. It was the real thing. Jesus’ birth, shepherds, Mary and Joseph, angels and a choir. I was looking forward to the 6th grade, because I wanted to be in the choir. Not because I had a great voice, but they got to hold flashlights
These weren’t just any old flashlights. The lights were out and the flashlights were held about chest high. The beam of light would be partly on the face, illuminating the singers face and then the rest of the light stream would go up to the ceiling. It was truly amazing. You have to remember that this was in 1971 and I thought about this being the equivalent of being in the Main Street Electrical Parade at Disneyland.
Well, 6th grade arrived and so did the tryouts for the choir. I had watched this play for six years and was looking forward to it. I knew the songs, and I was excited. I didn’t make it. I mean I tried, but it came down to something about not being able to match pitch and already having many boys in the choir. Bummer, that’s it - a bummer - my dream ended.
The teacher let me know they needed stagehands and wise men. All I could think of was, no light on my face - no illumination of my vocal chords. I wasn’t offered to play Joseph or even the innkeeper. Those guys were important. A stagehand, a wise man. That was only one scene and it was at the end. But hey, it was a chance to get out of class for practices, so I said yes. I decided I would be the best ever.
This other guy named Jimmy and I got to change out color filters. We actually got to make several changes of colors and got to be seen by everyone several times. Not bad!
As for being a wise man. The other two guys and I cracked many jokes about being the smartest guys in the school and in the city, even on the planet. All of us knew we had lousy voices, but we just kept telling everyone that they saved these 3 roles for people who didn’t have to act - because we were already wise guys. Not in the sense of really smart, but possibly the three biggest jokesters in the school. During rehearsals we would do different walks on the way in with the gifts. The duck walk, the strut, the sideways walk, the long step and even the short step. We had fun.
There was something precious about that first performance. It was very serious for me. I knew there was something special about Jesus’ birth. I didn’t yet understand, He was God in the flesh. I did know that the duck walk and the strut were inappropriate. I did miss the flashlight on my face. (I actually did it at home in the bathroom in front of the mirror, and it was cool.)
I learned that year that Jesus was the main thing about Christmas, not a flashlight or any other thing. I finally put it all together many years later.
Today, it’s about Jesus - God in the flesh. Please don’t miss it. Whether you are celebrating Christmas at home, at a relative's house or at a friend's house - make it about Jesus. Pause and ponder.
