The Christmas parade

It was early December, and we had been shopping that day to celebrate my birthday. As we began to travel homeward, we had the good fortune of driving through a small, festive community celebrating Christmas. Booths were set up with food vendors, homemade gifts for sale, and Carolers singing the songs of the season. To top off the day, there was an evening parade. With cups of hot chocolate and extra blankets for warmth, we settled down in a grassy area to watch the parade pass by.
I enjoyed seeing the excitement of my children as each float passed by. Santa Claus, Christmas trees, colorful lights, and the season’s wonder captivated their imaginations. At one point in the parade, a horse went by with a red light on his nose. In unison, my little ones exclaimed, “Rudolph, look, it’s Rudolph.” And the parade ended.
As I strapped them into their car seats, they said, “Mommy, that was so nice of them to give you a parade for your birthday.” They thought the whole parade was to celebrate me. Oh! The innocence of childhood. It would be better if we could hold onto that throughout our lives. When Jesus said, “As such is the Kingdom of God,” referring to the children, He told us how we should be: innocent and pure, trusting without hesitation.
As we celebrate this Christmas with our bright lights and decorated trees, let us remember the innocence of a child born into poverty. A King whose family did not have a tree to hang a star, yet Heaven displayed the brightest star ever to shine. It lit up the darkness and warmed a tiny stable as a mother nursed her newborn child.
Let us remember there were no pretty packages under a Christmas tree. However, angels would sing, shepherds would bow, and wisemen would follow the star to the greatest gift ever given. A young mother would cradle her child; a father would stand watch over his new family, and the Son of God would cry out with the voice of an infant. The One who spoke all things into existence would cry with the purity of a child.
As we look at the scene of the manger, trying to imagine the wonder of it all, our thoughts drift toward wisemen captivated by the star’s beauty. Nonetheless, the star would not satisfy the hunger within their spirit. They would travel two years through the elements of the world to find their Savior.
The beauty of the angels announcing the birth of Jesus had to be overwhelming for the shepherds. Yet they gathered their emotions and sought out the humble birth. Finding Mary with her baby, they told her all they had seen, and then they left, sharing the good news through the village of Bethlehem.
This holiday season lets us remember the innocence of childhood, where we trust without hesitation. Let us be wise men (women) traveling through whatever it takes to find the presence of our Lord. Let us be the shepherds, willing to seek out the message we have heard and then take the message to those within our villages. Let us embrace the glory of heaven. The message is still changing the lives of all who embrace the truth of the humble manger and the King who rose from the stable of Bethlehem.
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Cheryl Mixon-Cruce is Pastor of Ochlockonee Bay United Methodist Church and Sopchoppy United Methodist Church.