Orchestrating a large Christmas Banquet the other evening was a lot of fun for me. The crowd seemed energized, and ready for good food and fun. The sweater contest was embraced with folks wearing the ugliest, the most unique, and the flashiest. Sweaters were lit up, some had llamas wearing sun glasses, and it wasn’t unusual to see strands of tinsel floating from their chest. The host church provided beautiful table settings with fresh flowers and candles aglow. With Christmas carols ringing through the air, one could truly immerse in the Christmas spirit.
While reading one of the quiz game questions, I was starkly reminded with a truth I already knew. It was a question asked in the play, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” If you have ever watched this movie, you would be familiar with the question Charlie Brown asks near the end. It was a worthy question. “Can anybody tell me what Christmas is really about?”, asked Charlie. It was Linus, holding his blanket that stepped up to the microphone and simply said, “I know.”
Linus then begins to quote Bible verses from the book of Luke the Apostle. Luke 2: 10-12. It goes like this: “Then the angel said unto them, Fear not; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. One of the preachers sitting near to my table, stood to his feet and quoted the verses exactly, winning the quiz. Everyone clapped, and the evening went on.
It was some 2 hours later, when the final guest left, when Bill and I were saying our goodbyes, that a sense of relief came over me. My purpose was completed, another Christmas Banquet accomplished with guests telling me how much they enjoyed the evening. And yet, I had this feeling that something was different this time. On the way home in the car, the question that I read kept coming back to me. “What is Christmas really about?”
One thing I know, God is real and the miracle of Christmas that was revealed to the shepherds, is still manifesting itself today in our lives. The Lord came for one purpose; to save our souls. He wants to live in us. His Spirit guides us and leads us, it comforts us, and gives us a hope for tomorrow. Festivities come and go, but the miracle of Christmas will constantly reside. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for revealing this to me. I will forever thank you, and someday I will look into the eyes of this miracle.
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