Like a Little Child
Like a Child
General Shaw Clifton
Scripture: Luke 2:15; Mark 9:33-37; 10:13-16
Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing… (Luke 2:15)
I wonder which of the shepherds to whom the angels appeared was the first to say: “Let’s go.” And which of the others eagerly took up his suggestion? It is hardly possible to place ourselves in the extraordinary situation of the shepherds. I like to think that some of them would have been quite young, in the fields perhaps with a father or an older brother. If so, among the first to hear news of the Savior were children.
Margaret C. Gibbins has given us a poem entitled “The Shepherd Boy.” She imagines a young lad left behind in the fields when the others set off to find the manger, and writes:
The night when they returned
They did not beat me
As was their wont, the fire piled high,
So softly spoke as under an enchantment
To tell me how their journey was and why,
And of the Boy found at Bethlehem,
A King and yet a Child
As poor as I.
Advent and Christmas are centered upon a child, one particular child, but can lead us to reflect on childbirth and childhood in general. Ellen Stephanie Pedersen (1908-1980) was a Swedish psychoanalyst who took a special interest in the traumatizing flight and war experiences of refugee children. She has described the serious significance of Christmas to children in desperate circumstances of the Second World War. Though Swedish by birth, she lived and worked for many years in Norway. She acted as a guide for refugee children after Norway became occupied by German forces, leading some of them across high mountains into neutral Sweden. On one occasion she noticed something glittering inside one child’s bag. It was a Christmas tree decoration, a little star. She then discovered that almost every child in her refugee party had packed a Christmas tree decoration to carry with them. These trinkets were, it seems, symbols of past and future happiness. Such is Advent, such is Christmas, to a trusting childlike heart.
Salvationist poet, Harry Read, has written a poem entitled, “A Little Girl’s Prayer.” Note especially these verses:
“Thank you, Lord,” the little girl said,
“For stars which glow and bells that chime
And angels singing from the sky
Announcing Christ at Christmastime.”
“Thank you, Lord,” the little girl said,
And God, who knows the heart which cares,
And in such prayers takes much delight,
Sends down the grace to strengthen hers.
Mark 9:33-37 records Jesus taking a small child in His arms to show his over-ambitious disciples where their priorities should be. Mark 10:13-16 also places
childlikeness at the heart of the simple trust Jesus wants to find in His followers. Advent is a good time to renew our rediscover that simple trust. Dr. James Read of The Salvation Army Ethics Center in Winnipeg, Canada once write: “My grandchild will be born early in Advent, the time of year when we Christians relive the anticipation of Jesus’ birth.” He goes on to quote Pope John Paul II: “At the dawn of salvation it is the birth of a child which is proclaimed as joyful news…The joy which accompanies the birth of a Messiah is thus seen to be the foundation and fulfillment of joy at every child born into the world.” Advent brings to us the infant Jesus afresh once again. We read the Bible narratives and sing the Christmas carols. We hear the same facts and the same words, but with each advancing Advent season we can know fresh awe. We can yet marvel as we relearn of Christ’s coming. We can still find ourselves lost in wonder, like the shepherds, like a little child, as we discern the intervention of God into human history, God’s spending spree (to put it in modern jargon), God’s investment in the human race.
O holy child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tiding tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Immanuel.
Phillips Brooks
(1835-1893)
The Salvation Army Song Book #118 vs. 4
Excerpt from Sacred Risk by General Shaw Clifton. Published by The Salvation Army International Headquarters, 2021. All rights reserved.
Our Corporate Prayer
Blessed Savior, Thank You that You came to us as a child, vulnerable and weak. Thank You that You continue to invite children to come to You. Sometimes I feel small, just like when I was a child, and weak and unable to provide for myself. I like knowing that if I came to You as one of those little children that You would take me up on Your lap and that you would welcome me and hold me close. Please hold me close now. I need You. I love You. Help me to love all Your children, whether they are young or old, just you You do. In the name of the Child of Bethlehem, Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
Reaching Out to Others
While we think of Christmas as a holiday particularly for children, act on behalf of children for whom this Christmas time may not be so pleasant: The homeless, the poor, those in foster care, those grieving the loss of a parent or sibling, the victims of war. If you cannot help them directly, find an agency or organization that does and make a gift. And lift them up in prayer.
Notable Quotables
Lord, help me to keep Christmas unhurried. Let me make a soft manger of worship in my heart for You and take time for adoration of the Babe of Christmas. - Colonel Virginia Talmadge