The next week Dave did not have a campfire burning. When the kids crossed the river, Dave told the kids that he had a special treat for them that evening. Dave turned on a flashlight and led the kids down a path through the woods. Soon they came to one of the camp buildings and there was a van parked beside the building. Dave told the kids that one of the things that he liked to do at Christmas time was to take a group in the van and drive around and look at Christmas lights and decorations on houses.
That sounded like fun, so the kids piled into the van, and they were on their way! Dave drove to the closest town, and they drove up and down the streets slowly; looking at the houses that were decorated for Christmas. They went by houses that had inflatable Christmas characters in their front yards. They went by other houses that had colored lights all around the edge of the roof. Many houses that had picture windows had brightly decorated Christmas trees in front of the window. There was a house with reindeer and Santa on the roof, and there were several houses that had blinking Christmas lights around every window and an electric candle in the windows. There was even a house that was covered with lights, and they blinked in time with music that was playing on a special radio station.
Dave asked each of the kids to tell the group which kind of Christmas decoration they liked the best. Some of the kids were very excited about the house that blinked in time with the music. One of the kids said that they liked simple decorations, especially lighted Christmas wreathes. Some liked the lights outlining the window, and others liked the inflatable Christmas figures in the yard. It turned out that each of the kids liked different kinds of Christmas decorations.
The kids asked Dave which decorations were his favorite. Dave answered the kids and said that they had not seen his favorite decorations yet. Dave drove the van out into the country away from the town. Soon they came to a farm, and it was very unusual! There were cars stopped on both sides of the road! It was very crowded, and all the people were looking at a shed beside the road. The traffic moved slowly, but after a while the van got to the shed and the kids were able to see what was in the shed. It was amazing!
There were animals in the shed, but that was not all! There was a man and a woman, and they had a baby wrapped up in thick blankets. As they watched, the woman put the baby in a wooden feed trough, and some people dressed like shepherds came and bowed down to worship the baby Jesus. The people and animals were putting on a play, showing what the birth of Jesus was like. The kids watched quietly. It was awesome watching the birth of Jesus acted out right in front of their eyes. One of the kids quietly asked if the baby would be warm enough. Dave told them that the baby was wrapped up in several thick blankets to stay warm. When Jesus was born, he probably did not have warm blankets like those. Baby Jesus was probably cold, and the stable He was born in might not have been very clean either. It is truly amazing that God would have His Son be born in a cold, smelly stable. Jesus deserved to be born in a palace, but He chose a stable to show that He did not come to earth just for the rich and famous people, but He came for everyone, even common every-day people like us. He humbled Himself and chose to be born like that because He loves us so much!
When they got back to the camp, Dave opened his Bible to Luke 2 and read the Christmas story to the kids.
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said, “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others – the armies of heaven – praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing Him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
This is what Christmas is all about! All the other Christmas things are fun and bring some happiness, but never forget that the true meaning of Christmas is God’s great gift to us, sending His Son to be born as a baby so that He could grow up, live a perfect human life (without sin), and give His life on the cross to pay for our sins. Because of Jesus we can be forgiven of all our sins and spend forever, after this life on earth, with God in heaven!