Chuck Larsen

Christmas and the Kingdom of Heaven are for kids. Jesus made that point several times in the Gospels. I’ve been trying to capture the particular characteristics of children that are so meaningful to God. One of those characteristics seems to be a simplistic hearing of God’s teachings and open hearts to embrace them without the confusion of a personal agenda or a history that clouds the clarity of Jesus’ words. Grownups don’t always get it. I think this is what Jesus meant when he prayed, “Thank you, Father…that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children” (Luke 10:21). One of the things that children seem to “get” when adults miss the mark is in the area of forgiveness. One Sunday School Teacher tells about picking up one of her students for Sunday school. She writes:

When I went to pick up Shanna for Sunday school one week, she was crying and had blood on her dress. “It’s my uncle Joe!” she said. I knew that her family was “going through changes” because of Uncle Joe and his drug addiction. Shanna had particular reason to feel bitter toward her uncle. For years she had dreamed of owning a bicycle, and that Christmas a donation from a church made her dream come true. Shanna rode her shiny, new blue bike everywhere, bragged about it, polished it, and treasured it. Within a month, her uncle had sold the bike to buy drugs—an ample reason to embitter a nine-year-old. Now, on this morning, there was one more reason. Uncle Joe had come home wearing a T-shirt that read, “Say No to Drugs.” Shanna commented, “Why don’t you read your own shirt?” He hit her, causing a nosebleed. The white collar and yellow lace of her Sunday dress were a mess. Nothing else was clean, and everyone else was still asleep. We went to church to wash out the bloodstain. When it came time in the service for individual prayer petitions, Shanna’s voice sounded bright and clear as a trumpet: “I pray for my uncle Joe. He needs your help, Lord. Please, Jesus, help my uncle.” What a privilege to drink from the same chalice as Shanna.

In the Lord’s Prayer, we’re taught to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” I think Shanna gets it while many adults still harbor bitterness and unforgiveness in their hearts. It’s only when we become like children and are able to forgive and let go that we experience God’s peace. Matthew 18:3 says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Every Christmas pageant in the world has shepherds in it. What would a Christmas play be without shepherds? It would be incomplete. That’s what it would be! The Gospel of Luke makes a big deal out of the shepherds coming from the hills of Bethlehem to visit Jesus in the manger. The text of Luke 2 regarding the shepherds begins, “And in the same region…” That means Bethlehem! They are not just ordinary Shepherds. Bethlehem is the major suburb of Jerusalem. It’s where David, the little boy, was a shepherd. He was a songwriter and poet from his earliest days and did that in these very same hills. But more importantly, the hills of Bethlehem were occupied by shepherds who were assigned to care for and watch over the sheep being raised for one purpose and one purpose only. They were the sheep that were to serve as the sacrifices that were offered in the temple. There are several things worth noting about the Luke passage in this regard.

First, when the angels appeared to the shepherds, the text says, “The glory of the lord shone around about them.” That’s a clear reference to the Holy of Holies, where the “Glory of the Lord” was believed to reside. These shepherds were raising these sheep to be offered at the Temple as sacrifices to the Glory of the Lord. But, they themselves were never allowed to enter into God’s presence. That’s why they were “filled with great fear.” The angel tells them not to fear because he has some wonderful news of great joy for all the people. They were about to be introduced to the one great sacrificial lamb who would rend the veil separating God from the people. That’s why the angel added that this great joy will be for “all the people.” It’s not just for the religious elite who enter God’s presence. It was for them, too. It’s for me too! It’s for you too!

The angel told them, “This would be a sign to you; you will find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” How could that be a sign for shepherds? One of the toughest jobs of the shepherds was to protect the newborn sheep. The mortality rate of sheep (and humans) in those days was pretty high. But, even more important was the fact that when sheep are first born, they struggle and wiggle and strive to stand up and bump into things and very often break legs or cut themselves or hurt themselves in such a way that they are no longer “perfect” as a sacrifice at the Temple. Shepherds worked hard at watching the expectant ewes so they could be there for the delivery. They would receive the baby sheep right from the womb, and to ensure it would remain acceptable as an offering, they would wrap it up tightly and bind it so it couldn’t hurt itself. You guessed it; they would use “swaddling” clothes. Further, after wrapping the newborn sheep, it would be laid in the feeding trough so that the other sheep would not bother it until it had time to survive the birth experience without damage. The swaddling clothes and lying in a manger would assure the shepherds that this infant was the “perfect” sacrifice that would be offered for the sins of the world. According to Luke 2:10, the angel said, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

Every Christmas pageant in the world has the three kings of “Orient are…” They are bearing gifts that they’ve brought from afar! (Or something like that!). We don’t know how many wise men there actually were. But we do know there were three gifts. Luke 2:11 says, “Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” My grandson, Zeke, played one of the wise men in the school play one year. He didn’t know which one. I asked him, “Are you Balthazar?” He said no. I wondered if he was “Melchior?” He said no. I asked him if he was “Casper.” He said no. Those are the traditional names of the three wise men. Zeke didn’t know which one he was playing, but he made a cute-looking wise man with a crown and a long bathrobe.  We called him the “wise guy.” He didn’t appreciate that.

There were many contrasts involved in the Christmas story: Nazareth, the nothing spot, and Bethlehem, the city of the great King; Shepherds from the nearby hillsides; and Kings from very far away. They came bearing gifts. Everyone knows what the three gifts were. One child said they were “Gold, frankincense, and smurfs.” The Gold was expressing great value. From that day to ours, it has increased incredibly in value and still represents one of the most solid economic investments of the day. The key to understanding this gift is its value and beauty. Nothing was more pleasing to the eye. Frankincense was about the nose. The Hebrew word for frankincense is(usually translated INCENSE by NIV. It derives from a root meaning “white.” When the gum first exudes from the bark, it is of an amber color; later, when removed from the tree, the resin produces a white dust on its surface. When warmed and burned, the gum produces a sweet, pleasant odor. Its primary value is its fragrance. The same is true for Myrrh. But the key to Myrrh was not its odor. In addition to being offered to Jesus shortly after His birth, myrrh was also presented to Him at the time of His death (Mk 15:23). Historically, myrrh was utilized for cosmetic purposes but also for medicinal purposes.

The words “myrrh and balm” are sometimes synonymous. It’s the healing characteristic that’s most unique. I love the old hymn that we don’t hear very much, but it would make a great Christmas song. There is a “balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole. There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.” Wise men and those with sin-sick souls still seek him. The real gift is not what the wise men brought but what the baby offers us all. Merry Christmas!