by David Melton
The leaves are down in New England. The days are short. The cold is coming. But so is Christmas. I know that the exact date of Jesus’ birth is unknown, but for those of us up north, it sure does work out well that Christmas comes during the winter. It brightens up the cold and dark. It is the most welcome winter visitor. Theologically, Christmas is, of course, the story of Emmanuel — the kind of thing that makes every believer smile! Emotionally, just about everybody gets a little happier and nicer for a few weeks. Personally, my family highlight reel is just full of Christmas memories. Gastronomically, any time you cook up a big turkey or ham (or better yet, both), I’m all in! God bless Christmas — it is a big deal.
But Christmas is also a “little deal.” After all, the Lord came to us as the smallest little human, a newborn you could cradle in your hands, born in a tiny village, in a little country, with little fanfare. Christmas is the perfect time to think about little blessings that make a huge difference. Little ornaments combine to make a beautiful Christmas tree. Little decorations turn a simple sugar cookie into a Christmas cookie! All in all, I think one of the most appropriate ways to celebrate the Christmas season is to “go little” — to remember the small things that can easily go unnoticed … unless we didn’t have them.
There is this student here in Boston who stops in about once a week and asks if he can empty the trash in my office. He isn’t on the job. It’s just a little thing he has started doing. I look forward to seeing him each week. Another student comes to mind who sets up chairs for our chapel every week. Again — not a payroll thing — a little thing, but everybody who sits and listens to God’s Word proclaimed on this campus is a beneficiary. Here’s a “little” thing … I came back from a quick trip a few weeks ago and hadn’t arranged a pickup at the airport. One of our students just volunteered to give me a ride back late on a Sunday night. I would venture to say that just about every day somebody on this little campus does a little act of kindness and service, and it adds up to making Boston such a great place to go to college. As I look at a little Christmas picture on my mantel, I am determined to remember those kinds of things.
Yep, Christmas is right on top of us. Students and staff will take a little break. I hope to get a little rest myself. There will be a lot of big “goings on” — concerts, parties, church celebrations, family get-togethers, and then that gargantuan shin-dig-of-all-shin-digs on Christmas morning. This is a big time of year — probably the biggest. But Christmas will always be about God’s “little” Gift that was so much more than it seemed. And maybe remembering other little gifts is one big way to celebrate.