On Kyle's fifth Christmas, he gained a new and special excitement about the birth of Jesus. He was particularly fond of the part about the angels appearing to the shepherds. He learned the Christmas story by heart and delighted in telling it over and over to his parents, which made them very proud.
Like most parents, Kyle's were anxious to have him share his accomplishments more broadly. At the first opportunity, when guests were in the house, they encouraged him to recite the Christmas story.
He did just fine until he got to his favorite part: "And the angels appeared to the shepherds, and said, 'Glory to God in the highest ...' " He froze. His mind went blank. His mother offered a note of encouragement: "Come on, Kyle, think hard."
They waited. He thought a moment. Then his face brightened and he started again: "Glory to God in the highest ... and I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down."
Matthew 11:25 tells us that what has been hidden from the wise has been revealed to babes. It would certainly be nice to believe that the angels' proclamation of "... and on earth peace, good will to all" were true. But it seems that, unknown to him, Kyle has a more accurate picture of reality.
As winter comes on, the severity of the chronic homelessness of people in our cities takes on new urgency. Real estate speculation continues to force people onto the streets, and others live with the fear that the speculators will huff and puff outside their homes next. All around the globe, houses seem to be blown and burned and bulldozed down by military might, creating a life sentence of refugee-ism for growing numbers of people. Entirely too much huffing and puffing is going on in the world and not nearly enough making of peace and good will.
Kyle's rendering of the Bethlehem birth offers a great deal of insight into the world's dilemma. On the one hand, he got the story all wrong. On the other, he got it absolutely right. And the irony is that both versions are true.
The suffering is as real as the homeless people who spend their winter nights on sidewalk steam grates to keep warm, as broad as the displaced masses who wander the earth in search of shelter. But the Prince of Peace has been born, his reign has begun.
Luke 18:16-17 records Jesus' words that the kingdom of God belongs to the children, and those who do not receive the kingdom like a child shall not enter it. We should take those words to heart this season. The children know how to delight in Christmas, in a humble birth that changed the world. Beyond their fascination with angels and shepherds is a warm sense of Jesus' special love for them and for all God's children.
The children have much to teach us about joy and delight. Perhaps that is why Isaiah chose the following as his image of peace:
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down
with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
—Isaiah 11:6
Joyce Hollyday was an associate editor of Sojourners when this article appeared.
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