Excuse
Me, Excuse Me!
By
Jeannine Sawall
“All
the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they
will bring glory to your name.”
Psalm
86:9 (NIV)
A friend of mine sets
up an elaborate Christmas village every year filled with varying landscapes,
houses and scenes, all centered around a manager where the baby Jesus
lays. The highlight of her village, though, is not the people or the
landscapes, but the hundreds of miniature animals she places throughout each
scene.
Two years ago, she came into her living room and found her
granddaughter playing with the animals of the Christmas village; however,
instead of pretending the animals were being kind to one another, she had the
animals in lines in front of some of the stores and houses. She had them
roaring at each other and fighting to get in because the sales were on and they
wanted to find the best deals!
"No, sweetie, the
animals wouldn’t be fighting to get into the stores. They would be quiet
and gentle because Jesus is near," my friend told her granddaughter,
hoping that a gentler story line would save some wear and tear on her animal
collection. A while later, as she went to check on her granddaughter, she
was surprised to see all the animals in a big pile; one on top of the other,
right in front of the manger where baby Jesus lay.
"What's going on
with the animals now?" she asked, half-expecting her granddaughter to
explain another animal brawl. "Well Grandma," she replied,
"the animals are all so excited about seeing the baby Jesus, they just
can't wait! They are all saying 'Excuse me, excuse me, can I please get
through...I want to see Jesus.’"
I love this story and
the picture it paints of our Christmastime. How easy is it to get caught up in
the hustle and bustle of the season? We find ourselves fighting our way through
lines and to-do lists and, in the midst of this busyness, we lose sight of the
baby lying in the manger.
Instead of pushing our
way through crowds and countless tasks that this season seems to bring, let’s
remember the one thing that's worth getting excited about: Jesus! While
holiday traditions are fun and gifts are good, Jesus is the only One who
deserves our worship. This Christmas, let our heart- cry be, "Excuse me,
excuse me...I want to see Jesus."
GOING DEEPER:
1. In the midst
of the busyness, what can you do to stay focused on Jesus this Christmas
season?
2. Are you as
excited about wanting to see Jesus as you are about finding the best gifts?
FURTHER READING:
Jeannine
is married to Marty and is a busy mother of four boys. She works in property
management, serves in Café and actively ministers to those walking through
grief.
