Devotional 12-1-19

People were bringing children to Jesus so that he would bless them. But the disciples scolded them.  When Jesus saw this, he grew angry and said to them, “Allow the children to come to me. Don’t forbid them, because God’s kingdom belongs to people like these children.  I assure you that whoever doesn’t welcome God’s kingdom like a child will never enter it.”  Then he hugged the children and blessed them. --Mark 10:13-16 (CEB)

This is the 20th year of Johnson Memorial UMC’s Advent Devotional Book. For 20 years, the woman I call our Devotional Czar, Kim Matthews, has challenged, encouraged, cajoled, and pleaded with members to write devotions. I can’t give her enough credit.
I looked back at what I wrote in 1999. I told a story concerning my son and our nativity set. Oddly, that same year, a friend told almost the same story about her son, which confirms my belief that often children are smarter than adults.

In that devotion, I wrote about people making themselves so crazy with Christmas preparations that the real meaning of the season was lost. These days, with my kids grown and gone, I don’t obsess about getting ready for Christmas at all. There’s no pressure to find that most-wanted toy or bake a thousand cookies.

Sadly, now I’m more likely to be obsessing about the state of the world, social justice, etc. Those matters also can cloud the joy the Christmas season dares to bring.

Here’s the gist of my story from 20 years ago:

When my oldest son was about five, he said something profound. I had set our Nativity set out on a table with Mary, Joseph, the Baby, Shepherds, Wise Men, and animals perfectly posing for their picture. One day I caught my son rearranging the figures. “What are you doing?” I asked, afraid he was ruining my perfect layout. He replied, “Everyone should be looking at the Baby.” He put the Baby in the center and placed all the other figures in a circle around Him. And it stayed that way.

So, if the hustle and bustle of the season or the weight of the world gets you down, remember those words from a five-year-old. “Everyone should be looking at the Baby.”

Anita Gardner Farrell