My earliest childhood memories of Christmas date back to a cluster of small villages nestled among cocoa farms and tall mahogany and palm trees. Wearing our new clothes provided by our parents for Christmas, we were a happy group of eight- to ten-year-old kids walking from village to village like the magi who were looking for Baby Jesus (MATT. 2:1—2).
Baby Jesus was not there in person, but we found plenty of friendship and goodwill. Later in the day, our mothers sent us with bowls of food to our neighbors. To us in the village, Christmas was a time of benevolence.
But something was missing—the authentic Christmas story. In our merry-making, we missed the reason for the festive season. There was no church in any of the villages and no one told us the Christmas message—that God so loved the world that He gave His Son to be our Savior (JOHN 3:16). It was like attending a birthday party without the birthday person!
Not like the magi. Their foremost pursuit was to seek Jesus: “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?” they asked (MATT. 2:2). And when they found him, “they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they… gave Him gifts” (V. 11). They first found Him and worshiped Him before presenting their gifts.
Whether we are children or adults, the truth is the same: Christmas goes beyond the festivity and focuses on Christ. The Son of God came that we may have “a rich and satisfying life” (JOHN 10:10). —LAWRENCE DARMANI
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