RELIGION: “Christmas Pageants”

We know you’re the best, the top contender in the facts and fiction of Christmas. Last year, you wowed your friends with Christmas trivia and with your knowledge of all things Christmas.

You knew that there were not just three wise men, but that we say that only because the Bible mentions 3 gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and we assume there were only three givers of gifts. You answered correctly when you said the angels did not sing, “Glory to God in the Highest….” but answered, “They only said it, not sang it.” You know all the details of Christmas and the incidentals beside.

You know that Santa Claus originally came from Antalya, Turkey, and that there are two versions of “Away in the Manger.” You can tell with assurance that Emmanuel and Immanuel are just two spellings of the same name.

You know that when they mention Caesar it is like us using the word, President, and it is just a title and that there were many kings and men called Caesar. You are the Christmas king, the trivia champ, the decoration winner, and of course, Santa’s little helper.

But a few details you may have missed.

You know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but forgot why he was born.

You know that Jesus’ mother was Mary, but do not know why she was chosen.

You now the shepherds came, but do not understand the message they spread upon return to their flocks.

It is like your first kiss you had as a youngster after practicing in the mirror and on the back of your hand. You had rehearsed it many times but when it actually happened with sweaty palms and a racing heart, it was more than just the details. You had missed the point. It was not the scientific knowledge of puckering lips, but it was the essence of love and care that accompanied that kiss.

That too is Christmas, with its stories and song, for God coming to man is not a detail to be analyzed, but love to be accepted and a desire to be fulfilled.

Details? Yes, you may know them all, but have you experienced the essence of Christ’s birth. It is not trivia, trivial, nor the summation of all the details. It is God- He has come and he has come to earth. Creator to creation. God to man, and it happened on Christmas and that is a detail you must understand. It is more than just the facts; it is an affair of the heart.