Journeys 12-17-06

Journeys 12-17-06

The First Gift of Christmas.

Growing up, the first gift of Christmas was always in a brown paper bag. It would happen just seconds after finishing the children’s Christmas program at the Albion Methodist Church. We three kings would rush down the back stairs in our bath robes, crowns, and slippers, dump our gold, frankincense and myrrh on the Sunday School table and run to get in line. Our Sunday School teacher would be there with a big box full of little brown paper bags. Inside would be an orange, salted peanuts still in the shell, and hard candy.

I never ate the hard candy much. It melted in your hands, not in your mouth. And after opening up all my peanuts and dumping the shells in the bag, it was hard picking the peanut residue off the peppermint candy. My hands would be salty from the peanuts while my finger nails were full of the white stuff from the underside of the orange peal. It was a labor intensive gift meant to be consumed with hot chocolate.

I don’t remember much of what I did in the Christmas play. What I remember is what it felt like. It felt like I was part of something big. The adults knew the story by heart and were trying to put it into our hearts. It meant a lot to them. And they would smile and clap and cheer us on when we came anywhere close to getting it right.

Those who see the Christmas program today will be a part of a shared multi-generational experience. Our kids are following in the footsteps of their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Somewhere in all that the meaning of the Christmas story gets passed on. And we all remember what it feels like to be a part of something big. Maybe that feeling is the real first gift of Christmas. You can’t get your hands on it, but peanuts, oranges and brown paper bags bring it all back.

Grace & Peace,