This Reminds Me

Julia has made a lot of progress since last Christmas, when The Nativity movie helped us explain the real meaning of the holiday.  We had, of course, told and re-told her the story, but the movie really drove it home.  She told me she wanted baby Jesus in her tummy, and I responded she could one day have Him in her heart.

This year, she knows more.  Eighteen months of Sunday School including two holiday seasons have supplemented home teaching.  Earlier this month – as we drove to the dentist to have two small cavities filled – she was arguing with me about the necessity of the visit.  Julia:  “My teeth – they will be fine.  We do not need the dentist.”  I said, “Julia, you have two cavities.  Nothing and no one can fix those cavities other than the dentist.”   Julia:  “No, Mom.  I could go to heaven and Jesus could say, ‘Julia, come here and I will fix your cavities.’  I could skin my knee and Jesus would say, ‘Julia, come here and I will fix your knee.’  Or my eyes could cross again and Jesus would tell me, ‘Julia, I will fix your eyes.’”   I took a deep breath and responded, “Yes, that is all true.  But buckle up, we’re still going to the dentist.”

The whole concept of Christmas has been difficult for her.  Oh, not the presents, not the decorations, not the parties, not the sweet treats.  But the real meaning of Christmas – Jesus’ birth – well, it’s been tough to explain it in terms of what we do.  How do you take the presents, the decorations, the parties and the treats and lay them at the manger?

She asks about her own birthday almost every day.  “How many sleeps until my happy birthday?”  She changes her party location at least weekly.  She fantasizes about who will come, and what kind of cake she will have.  For a child who didn’t know what a birthday was until she came home, she’s sure got it now.

Julia asked a ton of questions about Christmas last week.  “Why do Lois and Hannah sing those songs?  Why does Rachel have a tree in her room?  Why do I take a present to my teacher?”  Why, why, why?

Last Saturday at bedtime, as we were rocking, I said to her, “You know how much you like your birthday?  How much fun it is?  How your friends wish you ‘Happy Birthday,’ and how you get to wear the birthday button at school?  Well….Jesus’ birthday is so important – it is so special – that one party just isn’t enough.  We party the whole month.  We party with our friends, and with our family.  We give presents to lots of people.  We cook special foods – not a birthday cake, but cookies and caramel corn.  We sing special songs – not ‘Happy Birthday,’ but other cool songs.  It’s just such a big deal, Julia, that we keep partying for weeks.”

I saw the lightbulb come on.  I saw it.

On Sunday morning, she asked one of her teachers, “Did you know Christmas is Jesus’ birthday?  Did anybody tell you that?”

Today in worship, our children’s minister gave each child a large sticker with peel-off Nativity characters.  Hannah and Julia affixed hers to a bulletin, and tore the white borders into “clouds.”

Julia wrote, “Jesus is a BABOY,” which translates to “Jesus is a Baby Boy.”

Yes, He is.  There is so much more to we have to teach her.  But for this season – that’s all we need to know.

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