“He busted their humps and did a tap dance on their foreheads. ”
One of my favourite Christmas carols is "Away in the Manger." I think it's a favourite for many others as well. Why else would we have so many tunes written for one set of lyrics? There are at least three musical versions of which I’m aware and there's gotta be more! The question is, what's so special about these lyrics?
Well, for one thing, the lyrics are simple and that makes it a joy to sing. Usually, Christmas carols have more words then notes, and they have a lot of notes — and high ones at that! But the lyrics are more than just simple. They have an innocent, childlike quality to them that appeal to me much the same as "Jesus Loves Me" does. "Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay; Close by me forever, and love me, I pray. Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care, And fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there." What a simple, endearing prayer of faith. Shouldn't we all desire to be close to Christ — yielding to the process of being made "fit for heaven"?
But the part of the carol I want to focus on is, "Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care..." As I read these words, I started to think about Jesus' relationship to children. In Mark 10:13-16 it says, "People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them."
Jesus was one of the busiest men to walk the face of the earth. If ever there was a driven man, here was the mileage King! His time was short. His task great. He worked and strained and strove, often going without food, without sleep, without the most common of comforts. Everywhere He went, people would gather and demand His attention. Bottom line: He didn't have a lot of free time!
Small wonder that the disciples tried to deep six the request of these people. You see, what they were after was nothing earthshaking, or even really important. All they wanted was the traditional Rabbinic blessing, the "barokah," in which the teacher would place his hand upon the child and give them a blessing. This was something any old Rabbi could do, so why bother Jesus?
At least that's how the disciples looked at it. Why were these people bothering the Master with the small stuff? But Jesus saw things differently. He usually did! He got seriously ticked with the disciples. He busted their humps and did a tap dance on their foreheads. Scriptures says, "When Jesus saw this, he was indignant." He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."
The word "indignant" is the same word used to describe the Pharisees reaction to Jesus healing on the Sabbath and you know how well that went! We're talking major emotional fireworks: "do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." The disciples pushed the children aside, but Jesus lifts them up. Ok, so what does that have to do with Christmas?
Christmas is a special time for most people. But, for children, it is a wondrous, magical time of excitement. It's THE mother of all holidays! As we grow up, the magic of the Christmas lights dim by a few watts. Oh, we continue to enjoy the celebration, but now we have to plan the parties and concerts and pay the bills. Furthemore, who has the time to fit it all in? But, perhaps the greatest tragedy of all is that our rush into the Christmas season leaves our children behind.
Parents are busy working overtime, standing in lines and running here and there in order to insure that the children have a "good Christmas." Meanwhile, the only interaction we have with our children is helping them memorize their songs, or lines for the Christmas concert. Somehow we have to remind ourselves that Christmas should be the time of year that our children, our families become the primary focus of our attention — outside of our relationship with Jesus, of course. Truth is that our schedules will never be quite as hectic as that of our Lord's, so we are without excuse in dealing with the hectic holiday hooha.
Ok, here's the question: do we let our children come to us like Jesus, or do we push them away like the disciples? Is Christmas the time we use Jesus' example and make a special effort to unite the family in love and focus on our children? Or, has it become a time of rushing, worrying, and panic?
I want you to think for a moment about your Christmas memories. The special memories I have of Christmas aren't about toys — they're about family. They're about the special family traditions we participated in every year. My special memories are about my brother and I having our mother to ourselves for a couple of days (I didn't have a dad around). Midnight Christmas Eve services, Christmas dinner, visiting relatives are all special memories for me. Boxing day, we would go to a movie together. New Years' Eve we'd get Chinese food. Every year we would watch "Charlie Brown's Christmas," "The Grinch," and "It's A Wonderful Life". We would trim the tree together, on and on it goes. Each of those events is more precious to me than any of the gifts I got.
What family traditions are you teaching your children? In my particular corner of Christendom, traditions and rituals are generally considered bad things. But that's not always the case. Family traditions can be powerful tools to instill in your children a sense of family, a sense of security, a sense of morality and faith. God created the family to be the avenue by which our children would come to learn about Him, and ultimately know Him. Are we using the opportunity of Christmas to do that? Time spent together as a family building memories and instilling faith, these things are more precious than gold.
"And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them." Jesus didn't just bless the children — He took them in His arms. He touched them. He held them. He made contact with them. He gave them love. If you do anything this Christmas, touch your children. Give them your love. Don't hinder them. Instead, pick them up and give them the blessing of your time and concern. When they grow up, they will remember your touch, not your toys.
Use Christmas as a unique time to show your children, grandchildren, and even great grandchildren, the reality of God in your life. Instead of promoting business and materialism, promote peace and love. In other words, the best Christmas present you can give is your presence.