This season is a time for many things. It’s a time for colored lights, sparkling trees, warm drinks, favorite songs, and—hopefully—gently falling snow.
But most importantly, this is the season to rejoice over the greatest blessing of all: Jesus Christ came to live among us. And through His sacrifice we have comfort and joy. Enjoy this Christmas ecard from all of us at BJU Press!
Image by Toa Heftiba
One of my earliest Christmas memories is of sitting with my family as we read aloud The Story of Christmas, a children’s book full of captivating illustrations depicting Christ’s birth with text from Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2.
Why is this memory so vivid to me? Probably because my family repeats this scene every year. No matter who is with us or how old we all become, it’s a wonderful way to focus our attention on the true meaning of Christmas. And we always do it before any of the presents are opened.
Whether your family is just starting to create some simple Christmas traditions on your own or you’ve developed quite a few over the years, here are a few ideas of ways to celebrate this season.
My wish is that these activities provide you with an opportunity to remind your children why Christ chose to humble Himself and be born as a man (Philippians 2:5–11).
When JourneyForth approached me about writing a Christmas picture book, I jumped at the chance. What could be more enjoyable? I loved writing, I loved the poetic possibilities of the picture book genre, and I loved Christmas. Of course, this was something I wanted to do.
But as I tossed around ideas for the project over the next several weeks, I couldn’t seem to settle on anything. What could possibly be said about Christmas that hadn’t already been said? Or perhaps the better question was how the age-old truth about the meaning of Christmas could be presented in a fresh way. I began to pore over the accounts of Christ’s birth in Scripture, and then I turned to mining my own experience.
The year before, my mother had become ill suddenly and unexpectedly. At Christmastime she had been a healthy, fun-loving woman in her sixties, still full of energy and zest for life. Then in May we learned that a form of cancer she had battled years before had recurred. I was able to spend only one last week with my mom before she entered the Lord’s presence on June 1, 2008. During the busy days following her death, I was a little numb, and I knew that God’s grace was carrying our family. But when the visits and cards of faithful friends stopped coming and life returned to a semblance of “normal,” I struggled with an emotion I had not expected to feel. I was afraid. I feared that the hollow feeling inside would never go away. I worried that others in our family would develop the same kind of cancer. I was afraid of experiencing more loss.
Gradually in those painful months, I came to realize that my problem was not caused by externals. My fear did not arise from my circumstances. It came instead from a fundamental problem between myself and God. I was afraid to trust the Lord who had redeemed me, written my name on His hands, and proven Himself to me over and over again. He was asking me to trust Him alone—with my past, with my present, with my earthly and eternal future, and with the future of those I loved. After all, He is utterly trustworthy. He can never be or do anything other than good.
When I looked back on all God had taught me over that year before the writing assignment, I knew that my Christmas story had to include both grief and fear. The problem Benjamin the shepherd boy faces is very similar to the one I dealt with. He has experienced loss, and he is afraid to trust. The solution to the problem is the truth of the gospel. Jesus Christ was born to abolish death forever for those who trust Him. He can be utterly trusted. Once I knew what must happen in Benjamin’s heart, his story seemed to write itself. It’s my story. And I hope that it’s your story too.
Read Cosette’s review of Benjamin’s Sling.
In 1858, Francis Ridley Havergal visited a museum in Dusseldorf, Germany, and viewed a painting depicting the crucifixion. Next to the painting was this caption: “I did this for thee; what hast thou done for Me?” That question inspired her to write the poem that became the text of the hymn “I Gave My Life for Thee.”1
All four stanzas of this hymn text often come to my mind during the Christmas season because Christmas involves so much giving. We give gifts to family members and friends. We give toys to underprivileged children. We give money to help families suffering from a natural disaster or devastating diagnosis. The list goes on and on.
But sometimes, even in the midst of all this giving, we lose track of the Person who gave the most. Instead, we get caught up in the shopping, the parties, and even the gifts themselves. We hurriedly call a friend to celebrate the amazing shopping deal we just got, but we pass right by the sales clerk without even thinking about taking the time to give her a gospel tract. At this time of year, we need to be reminded of the precious gift of salvation that we possess. We need to be reminded of the immense price that Christ paid to accomplish our redemption.
Francis Havergal’s hymn text reminds us of what Christ left behind when He came to earth. He left the glories of heaven (Philippians 2:7). This is not just a story about a prince becoming a pauper—Christ’s humiliation was far greater. We read in John 3:17 that “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
That salvation came with a price. The price was incomprehensible suffering and death on a cross. The Gospel of Luke takes several chapters to tell how Jesus endured beatings, mocking, betrayal, desertion, false accusations, physical agony, and even separation from God the Father. He did it all out of love for us, His lost creation.
Thankfully, Christ’s suffering and death aren’t the end of the gospel story. After three days in the tomb, Christ rose from the dead. God’s redemptive plan was complete.
Francis Havergal’s hymn text also encourages us to think about our response to the gift of the gospel. We can’t just say “thank you” and move on like we would after receiving a sweater or a box of homemade cookies. Doing so would cheapen the gift. Instead, our gratitude should transform us.
This Christmas season, take time to share the gift of the gospel. Talk to your neighbors about what Christ did for them. Hand out tracts when you’re out shopping. Invite an unsaved relative over and share how Christ has transformed your life. People need the gospel more than anything else you can give them.
1. Francis R. Havergal, “I Gave My Life for Thee,” Majesty Hymns (Greenville, SC: Majesty Music, Inc., 1997), 546.
In searching for a new Christmas story for K4 through beginning readers, I was deeply impressed when I discovered Eileen Berry’s Benjamin’s Sling. Initially, I saw it as a fresh, beautifully, simple children’s Christmas story. But as I read further, I unearthed abundantly satisfying answers to some of life’s most complex and timeless questions. Perhaps like me, you may be surprised that Benjamin’s Sling appeals to everyone from grandparents to preschoolers.
The story opens with a sleepless night. An orphaned shepherd boy wrestles with the comforts that he sees around him but that have been denied him personally. The twinkling lights of Bethlehem just before it slumbers stir his envy of those with a normal family life as he looks down on the town from the pastures he calls home. Fear and loneliness run deep for this child—the sad results of trauma and loss—and the author brings them vividly forward in the pastoral musings of the boy’s heart.
Jumpy and trigger-happy when it comes to using his sling, Benjamin has joined the ranks of the hyper-aware at a young age. Modern readers easily identify with the questions and doubts that swirl in his head concerning God’s sovereignty and whether His good will toward men is real. “Why didn’t God—who is able—prevent his father’s untimely death? What dangers yet await him, as a vulnerable lad?” An older shepherd—Caleb, who is Benjamin’s close and kind guardian—doesn’t have all the answers to the boy’s questions. But, as is characteristic of the wise guide, he points Benjamin to the One who does. Fully aware that there are places only experience, maturity, and divine grace can take Benjamin, Caleb reminds him of his father’s strong love and of God’s protection of that most famous shepherd—David. But words are not enough to bring Benjamin to peace with his past.
Only seeing the Savior can quiet the shepherd boy’s trembling heart—and it all begins with some very loud voices on the hillside.
You, your children, and your grandchildren will thrill again when you read of these simple shepherds meeting with the King of Kings. You will rejoice at the transforming power experienced by the humble few, chosen to experience that first Christmas. In this rich, poetic setting of Eileen Berry’s enthralling account, I found the perfect Christmas gift. I cannot recommend highly enough this classic story that will bless your family year after year.