Previous | Next 

Christmas is simple

Lena Bergen Friesen


In her novel A Fountain Sealed, Margaret Epp tells of Miss Wharton, a teacher who has come from eastern Canada to a little Mennonite community on the prairies. She has much to learn about the customs of these new settlers from Europe and has been somewhat frustrated by her pupils’ lack of knowledge of the English language. They often translate directly from the German, which can be quite comical.

As she is planning the annual school Christmas concert, one morning she gives Hendrich a poem to learn. After reading it, this young boy musters all the courage he has and says to the teacher, “My father wouldn’t let it. There’s a Santa Claus in this poem, and it doesn’t give such a thing as a Santa Claus.” At this, Miss Wharton realizes that this is why the other children would not take the parts in the dramas and songs she had given them.

“Then whatever am I to have in the concert?” she cries in despair.

“Have about Jesus, about when He was born,” Hendrich replies.

The child has offered a simple solution to his teacher’s dilemma. She takes his advice, and, although the parents can’t understand everything that is said and sung at the concert, they know it is from the Bible. “That’s how it should be,” they say, and are satisfied.

As I read this story, I reflected on our stress and busyness regarding Christmas. So often in the pre-Christmas season, I’m thinking of what to bake, what gifts to buy, how to decorate the house and tree and how we’ll be able to juggle our time so that we can attend all the church-related Christmas functions. We make Christmas complicated when it was not meant to be that way.

The beauty of Christmas is in its simplicity. The word “Christmas” means a celebration of worship to Christ. Without Jesus, there can be no true “mass” or celebration. The shepherds who were the first ones to receive the message of Jesus understood what they must do. Hurrying to the stable, they found Jesus and worshipped him. That was the very first Christmas.

We, as God’s people, would do well to follow their example. If, as we celebrate Christmas, we put more emphasis on food, gifts and decorations than on worship, then we have the wrong focus. Instead, let’s put Him first in all our celebrations.

Lena Bergen Friesen is a member of Waterloo (Ont.) MB Church.

Previous | Next 

Last modified December 11, 2000.

© 2000 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
Masthead and usage information.