The Real Christmas Story...As Told By Dad

When I was a little girl, my father took me "calling" with him on a regular basis, seeing the sick and elderly. He would always have me sing for the people we visited, and he would share scriptures and then pray with them. At first I loved to go because he would tell me, "There might be a little something in it for you!" (I knew it would be an ice cream cone--yummy!) As I got a little older, I really enjoyed it because one on one time with Dad was always so memorable. I loved his humor, stories, the one of a kind experiences with people,  and the lessons I learned. Then, eventually I looked forward to these times because Dad had helped foster in me a desire and love to serve people, and to water thirsty hearts.

These days, I am getting to accompany Dad again. He had a young friend named Mark, paralyzed and speechless from a high school car accident, he wanted to visit for Christmas. We drove to his home, and Mark signed "I love you" with his one hand that still semi-works, and Dad kissed his face several times. He chatted a couple of moments, and then he was the pastor in charge. He asked me to sing "Away in a Manger", and "Silent Night". When the last notes evaporated, he said, "Now, please sing about the Cross---how about 'Jesus Paid it All'?"

As I finished that, he was ready with a final request, "Now please sing about heaven...'When They Ring Those Golden Bells' and 'When We All Get to Heaven'. "

The moment I was finished, Dad squeezed Mark's hand tightly and said, "Mark---Brenda just sang the Christmas story to you. Now, most people think the only songs that were the Christmas story are the first ones, 'Away in a Manger' and 'Silent Night'. But that's not true. If that was all there was to the Christmas story, it would just be a sweet tale about a baby that was born. But this baby was Jesus, born for a reason. If it wasn't for the cross and the sacrificial death of Jesus, there would be no Christmas to celebrate. The cross of Jesus and his willingness to pay the debt of our sin and set us right makes God's gift of heaven possible. The story of Christmas starts in a manger, but it doesn't end there, Mark. Because it doesn't, we know your Father is in heaven, my wife is with Jesus in heaven, and one day we will be there, too. That's the REAL Christmas story, Mark. Now let's pray and thank Jesus for what he did for us."

True story. If the only part of Christmas you get is the baby in the manger, you don't know squat about Christmas. Jesus left a place of kingship and authority in a place more awesome than we can imagine and came as a helpless baby into a dirty, hostile, and broken world to pay a debt he did not owe and we could not pay. When our huge debt of sin was paid by his death on the cross, it opened the doors to heaven, a future beyond our wildest dreams. THAT'S the Christmas story. It sure makes a holiday worth celebrating. More than that, it makes a happy new year and fulfilling life possible.

I helped Dad out to the car, and as I held the door for him, I said, "Daddy, you are still so good at what you do---serving God and people."

With a twinkle in his eyes, he looked up from the careful attention he was paying to the placement of his feet and said, "Well, Brendy, who dreamed all those years ago we'd end up like this?"

Merry Christmas to me.