Merry Christmas.

Little Drummer Boy

Come they told me
A new born King to see
Our finest gifts we bring
To lay before the king
So to honor Him
When we come

Little baby
I am a poor boy too
I have no gift to bring
That's fit to give our King
Shall I play for you
On my drum

Mary nodded
The ox and lamb kept time
I played my drum for Him
I played my best for Him
The He smiled at me
Me and my drum

Christmas is here.  Snuck up on me it did.  And now that it’s found me, I guess further attempts at hiding would be futile.  Up until now I had plenty to keep me distracted, but now there’s nothing between me and the cold fact that I come empty handed this year.  

I heard the statement the other day that anthropologically speaking, gifts are a way of asserting dominance in a group.   I would have disregarded that statement as pish-posh previously, as I would always have been able to amply participate in the giving end.  But what happens if you can’t give? What happens when on the right of you they give myrrh and on the left they give gold, and you, you hang your head in shame for you have nothing to give.  

This has been a common method of teaching that Jesus has been using with me this year, perhaps the past couple of years.  I’ve had the sometimes painful privilege of walking in a wide variety of shoes.  Shoes that I thought just weren’t my style in any way, shape or form. I realize now that subconsciously I had harbored stereotyped prejudices that made me dismiss some shoes as ones I would never wear myself.  People I thought I loved, said I could love as Jesus loves, was not an actual love but a condescending do-good fulfillment of my role as a “Christian.” 

There are many more miles I have yet to walk in these shoes, and perhaps many different shoe changes to come in the near future.  Only God knows. But to commit to continue walking is all I can do. For blisters heal.  And with that comes understanding, empathy, love and what I can only pray for, perhaps a bit of wisdom.

So the Little Drummer Boy.  I would venture to say all can relate when standing before the gift of Salvation in the form of the baby Jesus.  A gift no human being can repay.  God simply has me standing in a different pair of shoes this year which gives me a different perspective on just exactly what it means to be indebted and unable to repay.  But what did the Drummer Boy do? Did he hide his small drum ashamed when standing next to myrrh and gold? No. He brought all he had and offered it in its entirety.   

He played his drum for Him.   He played his best for Him.   Pa rum pa pum pum.

Rereading this I’m afraid it’s much more serious than I intended, especially for a Christmas posting.  I guess all that’s left to say is...

Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart.

Hasta!