Songs about Christmas

My mom always says that it isn’t Christmas until she sees a 3-foot tall shepherd with a towel on his head and light-up tennis shoes on his feet. Since the Christmas Spirit so far has been elusive to me, I thought I’d see if she knew what she was talking about and go to the Children’s Christmas Worship service at Highland Church. I left the service realizing that, as usual, my mother was right.


Through a make-believe radio station, WJOY, where “the best songs are songs about Christmas,” the children of Highland told the sweet story of the birth of Jesus.

The handbells rang clearly and the children sang sweetly. It was just as it should be.

Mary and Joseph sang of their difficult experiences.

A whole flock of shepherds, complete with staffs and stuffed lambs, marched (unrehearsed, I would imagine) their way to the stable. I’m not sure the original shepherds actually marched, but when you’re in kindergarten and you’re going to see the Baby Jesus, marching seems very appropriate, plus it makes a really cool sound on the chancel.

The cattle moo-ed and the sheep baa-ed and the pastor, I mean the donkey, complained that he didn’t get the recognition he deserved. After all, he preached every Sunday, I mean he had carried Mary on his back.

All of it reminded me that just regular people (and animals) came together on that first Christmas, and just regular people have been retelling the same story for hundreds and hundreds of years, and the bizarre part is that it never gets old. I mean you never get tired of hearing it. At least I don’t.

At the beginning of the service, our Music Minister stated a disclaimer that reminded us that our worship leaders on this evening were children, and children are interested in the process not the product. In other words, there might be a missed note or a forgotten word or a shepherd with a costume malfunction.

Sounded good to me. . . imperfection would make the story even more believable. Actually, I think the whole idea of process might be what God had in mind when he sent Jesus in the first place. I doubt if Mary or Joseph, or even the shepherds, were actually ready for Jesus’ birth but when the call came they each did what was asked of them.

So this Christmas, my prayer is that I would be willing to do the same. God does not ask me to get ready to serve, he simply asks me to serve. I’m thankful to celebrate the birth of a Christ who cares very little for the product but pours out blessings on the process of our lives.

So that’s my lesson for the season, a lesson that only some three foot tall, marching shepherds could teach.

I’m looking forward to the rest of the season, continuing with the process of walking in God’s love, making sure I tune into WJOY, where the best songs are songs about Christmas.