It was literally the coolest thing I had ever seen thus far as I stood in front of Toys R Us. I was 5 years old, and my dad pointed up to the sky at the helicopter that was lowering into the parking lot. I had never seen a helicopter up close, and this was my big day. I had loved airplanes and helicopters and wanted one for Christmas, but today I was getting to see the real thing.
Everything changed when the side door of the chopper opened, and someone stepped out. I suddenly realized why the helicopter had landed when I recognized the exiting passenger… It was SANTA!
I, along with another 50 or so children were absolutely thrilled at this point, because this was our chance to sit in Santa’s lap and tell him what we wanted for Christmas. I of course asked for a helicopter just like his! He looked into the crowd and said “Has he been a good boy, mom?” Mom smiled and nodded. I had the most satisfaction ever at that moment when Santa told me to expect my helicopter on Christmas morning.
I knew Santa was just a man in a red suit and a fake beard, and when I unwrapped my remote control helicopter on Christmas morning, I knew it was from mom and dad. But still, the experience was surreal at five years old, and it was a moment that has yet to exit my favorite memories file folder of my mind.
♫♪ “Children sleeping, snow is softly falling
Dreams are calling like bells in the distance
We were dreamers not so long ago
But one by one we all had to grow up
When it seems the magic’s slipped away
We find it all again on Christmas day.” ♫♪
I never bought into the whole Santa, Easter Bunny, or Tooth Fairy thing. Just didn’t seem right. It seemed totally illogical, even as a small child. It was something that I enjoyed every year… telling Santa my toy wishes, and hunting for Easter eggs and things like that simply because I was a child. But I had to tell myself that these beings were just figments of imagination and fun ideas.
That was never the case with Jesus Christ. I believed in Him the moment I was first told about Him. Being raised in a Christian home, I heard a lot about Jesus as a child. When I was frightened of the dark, and mom reassured me that I shouldn’t be because Jesus was in my room with me, I believed her. I still do.
What I found hard to believe happened when I watched “The Passion of the Christ.” I vividly remember being at Rave Motion Pictures in Daphne Alabama seated between a good friend and my Associate Pastor. For nearly 45 minutes, I watched a man portraying Christ who was beaten, and beaten, and beaten… and then he was beaten some more. This went on forever, eventually leading to him being nailed to a wooden cross aside criminals… our Savior.
I had a really hard time watching this, and YES, I cried. I cried hard. I just couldn’t believe that someone would do something like that for me. This wasn’t Santa… this was my Savior. This gift that I would receive from Him could never fit beneath a Christmas tree… it WAS a Christmas tree. Two wooden beams… stripped of their branches, limbs, and leaves… And three nails later, Jesus hung, almost lifeless with two limbs of His own stretched from the east to the west.
It’s not fiction, nor is it a simple inspirational story combined with emotional triggers to try and steer us all in the right direction. It was real. It all happened. He began as a King, but became a child to show us the way. He then had to once again become a King to show us all what love really was, and to take away the sin of the world. He had to become something we couldn’t be ourselves. From a precious baby to a martyr.
It’s easy to get caught up in the way Christmas is popularly celebrated today, but it’s important to remember who Christ is and why He came, and why He died and rose again. He’s our Savior, and for many, this is the only time they will even think about Him.
♫♪ “When it seems that we have lost our way
We find ourselves again on Christmas day” ♫♪
Christmas is near, and as we enjoy our gifts, Christmas dinner, and friends and family… Take time to celebrate Christ and what He means to us all.
♫♪ “Believe in what your heart is saying
Hear the melody that’s playing
There’s no time to waste
There’s so much to celebrate
Believe in what you feel inside
And give your dreams the wings to fly
you have everything you need
If you just believe.” ♫♪
The Alarida Journey 