Feeling Guilty About Christmas

A wave of guilt lies behind my deciding to preach on the theme Christmas in July: The Director’s Cut. I thought about all the children influenced by my ministry throughout the 20+ years now that I’ve been doing this. I thought especially about the ones who appear in our Christmas pageants year after year. Landing the role of Mary or Joseph – and in some cases, baby Jesus – is always a highlight for a young person and their family. Important auxiliary roles are those of the Wise Men and the shepherds. Perhaps some child will relish the role of the innkeeper because it calls for a little acting ability to say, "There is no room in my inn. But you can use my stable out back."
As the pageant typically unfolds, Mary and Joseph kneel worshipfully by the creche – looking as holy as they can in their modified bathrobes. Then here come the cute little shepherd boys (and girls), often with other children portraying sheep in tow. Cotton swabs can be made to appear amazingly like wool. Finally, the Wise Men majestically approach the scene. Always three of them. Usually wearing fake beards and carrying their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, they present their gifts to the Child in the manger with royal plush. I wonder if any of our child actors ever think to themselves, "I’m sure glad I don’t get gold, frankincense, and myrrh for Christmas!" In the climatic scene in our Christmas pageants, the holy family, the shepherds and their sheep, and the Wise Men all stand in worshipful, silent reverence over the plastic baby Jesus. Often we try to salvage the moment by teaching the children something about what all these characters were doing – worshiping the Savior.
But now this all bothers me. Why? Because I know that the Wise Men and the shepherds never appear together in any of the scripture’s portrayal of Christmas. The shepherds appear in Luke’s gospel – only Luke’s – and come to Jesus the night He is born. The Wise Men are from Matthew’s gospel – only Matthew’s – and come to Him long enough after His birth to give them time to travel to Jerusalem and on to Bethlehem. Matthew even says they came to the Child "in a house." And Matthew never mentions how many Wise Men there were – 3 or 103. Luke never even mentions an innkeeper. The "inn"of which he speaks was probably more like a large room in a family house rather than a commercial establishment.
Maybe I seem curmudgeonly about all this. Isn’t there such as thing as artistic license? What’s wrong with letting the children continue the tradition of the usual Christmas pageant, even if it does condense the story? Here’s why this made me feel guilty – As a pastor, I realize that these children trust me to teach them the truth. "If Bro. Bob (the folks in my churches always called me "Bro. Bob") taught us this, it MUST be true." And sure enough, I DID teach them that. So some day they find out the truth about Santa Claus. That notches Christmas down a bit, and perhaps their trust in adult teaching. Then, perhaps in that time of intellectual awakening known as sophomore year of college, they find out the way the Bible really portrays Christmas. And then they wonder – "What else was I taught in church by Bro. Bob that isn’t true?" Score one for a loss of credibility. And, to add to my angst, the Bible does say I’ll be held accountable for that some day (James 3:1).
How can we help our children understand what the Bible really communicates about the Savior’s birth? I guess it begins with our knowing the story as the Bible tells it so that we can teach it ourselves. What constitutes "crossing the line" in modifying the story? Leave a comment about what you think.