The future sat beside me at the annual Christmas banquet of a community organization. Five fingers old, big eyes, bubbly and adorable. With her mother busy on her left, and the Preacher watching activities on my right, I engaged her in conversation. She鈥檇 already visited 聽 聽 Santa and Mrs. Claus, perched on the stage up front telling their usual fibs. Like most pre-schoolers, she鈥檇 quickly moved on.
When I told her I had granddaughters near her age, she giggled and pointed to my cell phone. 鈥淪how me!鈥� I happen to have a few (!) pictures, so I opened the album and found them for her.
She grabbed the phone and proceeded to flip through all my photos, stopping at one. 鈥淗ey! There鈥檚 your dad!鈥� She pointed to the Preacher on my other side. (Perhaps I should stop coloring my hair?)
After I managed to extract the device, she fingered the pin on my shoulder 鈥� a small gold nativity scene a friend gave me years ago. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 pretty!鈥� she exclaimed.
鈥淲hat is it? Do you know?鈥�
She grinned. 鈥淎 badge!鈥�
I laughed. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a picture of the true story of Christmas! See this little barn? See the baby and his parents? That鈥檚 Jesus. He was God鈥檚 son, he was born in a barn and he came to save the world. Remember that story?鈥�
鈥淣辞!鈥�
鈥淗ow about Away in a Manger? Do you know that Christmas Carol?鈥�
鈥淲hat鈥檚 a Christmas carol?鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a song we sing just at Christmas.鈥� I sang a verse, softly. She proclaimed it nice. As I explained the Nativity story in its most basic terms, her eyes fixed on mine. When I reached the part about angels appearing in the night sky, singing 鈥淕lory to God in the Highest!鈥� to 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽shepherds she stopped me. Put her face a little nearer mine. 鈥淚s it true?鈥� she whispered. 鈥淎ngels in the sky? A big star? For real?鈥�
鈥淥h, Honey, yes. It鈥檚 all true. God loved the world and sent Jesus to rescue us. His other name is Christ. Jesus Christ. That鈥檚 where the word Christ-mas comes from!鈥�
She sat back, looking puzzled and sad. Then she shook her head. Her next words broke my heart. 鈥淚 never KNEW!鈥�
Like many children of my generation, I grew up attending Sunday School, church, youth group and church camp. There I learned to love the Bible, with its marvellous stories and foundational truths of morality, history, philosophy, science and literature. My parents, even 聽 聽 聽my public school, reinforced those truths. I loved best the person and story of Jesus Christ, on whom Christianity rests. My relationship with Christ and my Christian beliefs have shaped who I am, what I do, and what I offer to the world for whom he gave his life. 聽
Five fingers old, she was. Bubbly, adorable 鈥� and utterly Biblically illiterate.
As I said, I sat beside the future recently. And while I still could, I told the Truth.
鈥淗ow will they know, unless someone tells them?鈥� Romans 10:14, paraphrased.
