It was the children’s Christmas party at church a couple of weeks ago. So many children. So much chaos and fun.
At the end of the evening, a special guest from the North Pole made a visit. The children were excited. But a three-year-old had decided against the whole idea. He was afraid of Santa. There was no way that he was going to sit on his lap. He started crying and said, “No!”
But then one of our junior high kids knelt down in front of the boy and said, like a motivational speaker, “You gotta face your fears!” Several of us kind of chuckled at his bravado and said to ourselves, “There’s no way that little boy is going to see Santa.”
The junior high kid persisted. He said, “Hey, I’ll hold you in my arms and I will sit on Santa’s lap and you can tell him what you want. I’ll protect you.”
Amazingly, the little boy agreed. In the arms of the older boy, he went to see Santa. After it was over, he smiled from ear to ear and said, “Yeah!!” The junior high kid gave him a high-five and said, “Yes, that’s the way to face your fears.” It was a little Christmas miracle!
The good news of Christmas reminds us that, perhaps, in a similar way, we can also face whatever is causing fear in our lives. The Son of God offers to hold us in his arms and affirms, “Don’t be afraid. I am with you always.” The coming of the Christ Child changes everything!