And a little child shall lead them...

Today the children of our church presented a musical program called "He Made a Way In a Manger" and it was wonderful! The storyline was familiar - Luke's account of the birth of Christ - the first Christmas. As many times as I've read it, or heard it, those little faces with their sweet sometimes-out-of-tune voices made the story amazing and joyful all over again. There was barely contained excitement in the smile of every tiny angel grinning widely from under a feathery halo, a determined earnestness in the eyes of a shepherd wrestling with an unruly headdress...and a certain maternal pride when a resolute virgin Mary lovingly placed (plunked) the baby Jesus into the manger bed - LOL! Some sang with shyness; some sang with gusto - some sang through unstifled yawns when a musical number ran a bit long. All sang from the heart - wanting numerous hours of rehearsal to result in a successful performance - wanting the importance of the story to be clearly understood. Of course there were beaming parents and grandparents, siblings and friends. There were recordings made and pictures taken. At the end there was a standing ovation, bows and curtsies, and lots of hugs. And then our pastor spoke the words we were all thinking - "NOW I feel like the REAL Christmas season has started!" More than presents or lights or trees, more than fancy meals and time off work, more than any other observance of the holiday - Jesus is the Reason for the Season. The children reminded us about that in a uniquely precious way today. Amen!!