"HEY, UNTO YOU A CHILD IS BORN"

One of my favorite Christmas Books is "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever".  It begins, "The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. They lied and stole and smoked cigars (even the girls) and talked dirty and hit little kids and cussed their teachers and took the name of the Lord in vain and set fire to Fred Shoemaker's old broken-down tool house."

It is the story of a Christmas pageant, that many churches everywhere put on every year to tell the Christmas story.  But when the Herdmans get involved the story takes on a new meaning.  One of the reasons is because the Herdmans have never heard the Christmas story before, so when they hear it, the words are not just words, they mean something.

For example when Imogene, who through threats and through extortion, manages to get the role of Mary, and she hears Jesus was born in a barn, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manager, says, "You mean they tied him up and put him a feed box? Where was the Child Welfare?"  When she hears the Wise Men brought the baby Jesus precious oils and fragrant resins (frankincense/myrrh), hollers, "What kind of cheap king hands out oil for a present?"

The Hermands ask who is going to play Herod, and they hear he is not in the pageant, they are mad because they wanted to beat him up for trying to kill the baby Jesus. And in fact, they go to the library to find out what happened to Herod, and later the librarian says, "I might as well retire. When Imogene Herdman came in and said she wanted to read about Jesus, I knew I'd heard everything there was to hear."

The dress rehearsal was awful, with Imogene saying Mary should have got to name her own baby, and when she hears that the angel said, "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace," Imogene says, "My God! He'd never get out of first grade if he had to write all that!"

The mother putting on the Christmas pageant says, "It is going to be the best Christmas pageant we've ever had!" and her daughter thinks it is like General Custer saying, "Bring on the Indians!"

But you know, it is the best Christmas pageant ever. I think Imogene probably looked like Mary must have looked. She was ragged, tired, scared and out of place.  She burps Jesus, because as she says, "That is the whole point of Jesus--that he didn't come down on a cloud like something out of "Amazing Comics,' but that he was born and lived....a real person!" Real babies need burping!  The Hermands who play the Wise Men bring the family's Christmas ham from their Welfare food basket as a gift for the baby Jesus. That was really a sacrificial gift for the family.  The Herdman who plays the Angel of the Lord, yells, "Hey, unto you a child is born"!  It was important that everyone listened to this great news, so "Hey" meant listen up!

As I look through the eyes of the Hermands I am reminded of the fact that Jesus birth was an amazing step into mankind and that God chose just regular people to be the parents of His child. We often want to "glamorize" the Christmas pageant, however, I believe the Hermands gives us a realist view of what God meant when he said, "I love you so much I sent you my Son to be your Savior."  He comes to us with all giving love and perhaps we should be more mindful of how this gift of love should excite us just as much as it did the Hermands!  And we should remember that just like the Hermands, when "love" comes to you, life takes on a new meaning right where you live.

 So how does the Christmas story make a difference in your life right where you live?

What are some ways you may make a difference in other people this Christmas by showing the love God gives you to them.

So,  Hey listen up! Unto you a child is born!