It’s November 14, 41 days until Christmas and 40 days until the Christmas pageant. We have picked out a pageant script and held an organizational meeting, which is an ironic name for the meeting because of the chaos going on in the room with kids crafting and using Legos, parents arriving late and having to step out for various reasons. We have assigned roles and will start practicing this Sunday. I feel more comfortable about the process of the pageant this year than in years past, but slightly worried about the style of the pageant. I know it’s a pageant that my mom wouldn’t like which means it’s a pageant that others won’t like. I think it all goes back to expectations.
So what do we expect of our church? Of our pastors and the content of their sermons? Of their interaction style? Of their ability to do pastoral care, preach, teach, socialize? Why do I like the style and content coming from one person, while someone else does not? What should we get out of a worship service or Sunday school class on Sunday morning?
This gets me to “shoulding.” We all have our list of shoulds for ourselves and others: I should keep my house clean. I should exercise. I should eat well. I should be caring towards others and even when I don’t want to have a relationship with some people, I should. You should treat me respectfully (based on the definition I have for respect). You should call when you’re going to be late. You should do what I asked you to without complaining because you have a list of things I think you should do around the house. So who decides the “shoulds?” Me. You. Everyone has their own and they aren’t like laws, they are hard to pin down as anything more than our own set of rules. And everyone has their own set of “shoulds.”
Now back to the Christmas pageant. What should a Christmas pageant be? Probably there are a few ground rules we can agree upon. A pageant should tell the story of Christ’s birth. A pageant should occur sometime within the few days before Christmas day. A pageant should inspire and uplift those watching it…now I’ve arrived at the debatable one. How do we judge that? How do we do that for everyone? We don’t.
This pageant is called “The Misunderstood Christmas.” It has Ceasar handing out tacks (instead of collecting tax), a angel crawling on the ground instead of flying majestically overhead or at least spreading his/her wings wide with an inspiring speech about the birth of the savior. The angel misunderstands “Lo” to be “low.” Instead of Francinsense and Mhyrr being brought to little Jesus, Frankenstein and Myrtle arrive instead. So on and so forth.
Some may find this distracts from the gravity of the occasion. I think it instead highlights the absurdity of it. The son of God, born in a cattle stall. A virgin (whose own fiance doesn’t believe her virginity when he finds out she’s with child) carrying God’s son in her womb. How are we to understand all these crazy things? How are not to potentially misunderstand all these things?
When I was a child I understood the line in Silent Night, “round yon virgin,” to mean that obviously, Mary was round since she was pregnant and “yon” and “virgin” were something else describing her, but I wasn’t sure what. I think we often aim above our children’s heads with the scripture, at this time of year and others, instead of welcoming them into the details and trying to clarify the story. I hope that as we realize the misunderstandings possible in words of scripture, for not only children but even for adults, all strive to understand and uplift one another.
