No Gift To Bring

"And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

Matthew 2:11

One of the things that I enjoy most about the holiday season are the annual Christmas programs that I have been watching since I was a child. I am sure we all have our favorite one and, for some of us, it may be hard to choose. I know of one that I relate all too well to called "The Little Drummer Boy."

For those of you who have not seen this Christmas program, I will give you a quick synopsis. A young boy’s family is killed, and he is taken away to be sold at the appropriate time by a very nasty man. The man uses the boy’s ability to play the drum amongst other things to get money. He mistreats the child who lost his smile the day that his village was destroyed.

As they travel along, they meet up with three kings. These men are royalty and have in their possession precious gifts. They tell of the star and of their trip to see the "King of the Jews" who is to be born that very night. The man is basically a freeloader and good for nothing, so he decides to tag along to see what he may gain on this trip. Crazy things happen along the way, but finally they come to a lowly stable where a little baby boy is in his mother’s arms, if not in a manger full of hay.

The three kings bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, all of which were very costly in the time in which they were living. The little boy whose heart was so broken by the horrors that had come upon his family, found a tear running down his cheek as the kings humbly worshiped the King. His heart was warming up in the Presence of Baby Jesus. He watches as all the other gifts are presented, and the frown returns to his face as he sees himself empty-handed with nothing to give. Suddenly he has an idea…"I’ll play my drum for Him," and so he does. The words that accompany his little song go something like this:

Come they told me,
Pa rum pum pum pum
A newborn King to see,
Pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring,
Pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the king,
Pa rum pum pum pum
So to honor Him,
Pa rum pum pum pum
When we come.

Little baby,
Pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too,
Pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring,
Pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give our King,
Pa rum pum pum pum,
Shall I play for you,
Pa rum pum pum pum
On my drum.

Mary nodded,
Pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time,
Pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him,
Pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him,
Pa rum pum pum pum
Then He smiled at me,
Pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.

Often I find myself in the position of this little drummer boy as it seems that I have no gift to bring and lay before The King. I see gifts all around me, and they are beautiful and glorious just as the gifts were that day. They are impressive, meant for royalty, and there are plenty of them.

I look at my hands, hands that once played instruments, wrote sermon series, sang solos, preached, taught, and were involved in all the festive activities of the season. All of this is gone for this season, and I am left standing before the King with nothing to bring Him. That is, nothing but me.

Was it the drummer boy’s melody played on some worn-out handmade drum that was pleasing before Mary, the mother of Jesus? Was it so grand and entertaining that it pleasured this newborn King? No, it was none of those things. What made this boy’s behavior not just acceptable but, perhaps, something worth imitating was the fact that he saw that he had nothing to give The King but himself. As he pounded out his little song, he gave it his best. He put his whole heart into it…and it made little Jesus smile.

Jesus smiling—imagine that! Is it so hard to conceive? I guess it is if you serve a heavy-handed, cop-in-the-sky type of God. It is not quite as hard to conceive though when you believe in the God of the Holy Bible. He loves the unlovable, seeks out the needy, and offers a home in His heavenly kingdom forever after He so graciously forgives all of your sins.

When I sit long enough in His Presence whether I am quiet, or meditating on the Scriptures, or even praising or worshiping Him, I believe that I—like the little drummer boy—bring the only gift I have left to bring…wholehearted devotion and adoration to Jesus Christ. It might not seem like much to me or to others, but occasionally it is enough to make Jesus smile.

Prayer:

Father God once again you have used something simple and fictional to drive home a very powerful truth. It is not the great treasures that bring You pleasure, especially since You own it all any way. 

What You desire during this season when we celebrate Your birth is "us." You want us to take time to come to You and give You our very best praise and adoration. You do that because You long to feel the love of Your people...a love that is not solicited or forced. You also desire that we feel Your sweet love. 

Thank You Father for the gift of Jesus. May we never get so caught up in the celebration that we forget to come and adore You. 

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