The Christmas story is one that evokes worship and awe from believers, and a yawn from those who don’t see it for what it really is. From our perspective, this is the fulfillment of a promise made in the garden, a Messiah coming to deliver us from the bondage of sin and death. That perspective can easily be lost in the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping and traffic congestion.
Our fifth graders demonstrate a different perspective as well. They have been honing their creative writing skills this month with a project called “Voices of Christmas.” The students selected characters present at the birth of Christ and retold the story of that miraculous event through their eyes. Some chose shepherds, some animals, others Mary or Joseph or even the star. As I read through these well-crafted and engaging stories, it was wonderful to see our emerging writers bring their ideas to life. But mainly, I enjoyed their sense of perspective that, no matter whose view is taken, it always focuses on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. There were no innkeepers who stole the spotlight, no shepherds proclaiming their greatness for being the first to know. There was only awestruck wonder as each man and beast came face to face with the Glory of Heaven, lying in a manger.
In reality, isn’t that what happened for all of us on that beautiful night in Bethlehem? The Savior of the world became man, in the lowliest of ways, so that each of our life stories are nested within His grand story. It is this grand story that gives our stories meaning. What a breathtaking truth to comprehend!
As you enjoy Christmas with your family and friends this year, I pray you will be overwhelmed by the magnitude of God’s love for you. And that the truth of this story will fill you with awestruck wonder while you worship Him.
Merry Christmas!
Excerpts from Fifth Grade Voices of Christmas
Joseph’s View
by Ben Martinez
“I understand that we have to get registered and it’s far away so I grab a donkey for Mary to sit on. We go on the journey and arrive at Bethlehem. I was trying to find Samuel’s house but Mary said that we needed to find somewhere fast. I go to the innkeeper and he said that they only have a stable and fresh cloths, so we went there. I was wondering why God wanted His baby to be born in a stable. But God probably has a good reason. I made a place for Mary while she was making the manger for the child.
‘And she brought forth her firstborn child and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.’ Luke 2:7
My mind is blown, I get to raise the Son of God.”
The Lamb’s View
by Taylor Dublin
“We couldn’t believe what we saw! A baby laid in some hay. A lady, on a hay bale, looked cold so I jumped on the hay and covered up her legs. I was like a living blanket! The shepherds tried to move me, but she said no and pushed their hands away… A man in the corner winked at them. When she asked him to come sit next to her, he gingerly put his arm around her shoulder, and they just stared at the baby. He was asleep. When he woke up, he looked at me, then laughed. He reached out to touch my wool. He rubbed my ears, then fell back asleep. The shepherds said that we had to go…and the lady rubbed my head. I left knowing I had just seen the Savior, the Son of God.”
Starli the Star’s View
by Raelee Campbell
“The signal sounds. The trumpets of the angels blare so loudly I believe earth down below could hear them. I burst forth, spreading my arms wide and glowing for all the world to see. Over a stable, I hover in the sky.
I gaze down at the people below. One is “The Chosen One,’ as the angels call her. She is Mary, eyes dim as embers, hair black as coal…the one that will fulfill the prophecy that was prophesied thousands of years before her.
‘No’ is the only response I hear when Mary and Joseph try to get a room in the inn. I frown. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be! Suddenly, I know why I was called to hover over a stable. I don’t want to believe it, but I think that Jesus, the Son of God, will be born in a stable.
An innkeeper leads Mary and Joseph to the stable. The Son of God will come today! A baby’s cry fills the night. Shepherds appear with their sheep. This is the moment we’ve been waiting for! The Son of God has come! Everyone bows to Jesus, the Son of God. One day, Jesus will save His people. I smile.
This is the world’s first Christmas.”