Could the real pageant not be a play at all, but my lifeAs I take my gifts, my insecurities, my worriesTo the Christ Child, like the Magi took their gifts to the manger,And allow God to recreate within me a new life,A living pageant that does not end on Christmas Day,...
The pageant proceeded as scheduled—Angels, Shepherds, Wise Men, Mary, Joseph, the Christ Child—Children reciting their lines while parents beam with pride. The lights dim, children freeze in place; all is quiet. Then the children get up and leave; the pageant is over....
The most common greeting of the first Christmas was not ‘Merry Christmas.’ It was ‘Don’t be afraid!’ It took real courage and perseverance to be at the manger: Mary’s courage, Joseph’s commitment to Mary, the awestruck obedience of shepherds, and the politically...