I think one of the most important reasons to have a Christmas program is that we are training the next generation to believe on Jesus for real. They see adults do things in the church all the time and, to be honest, from a child’s perspective, adults can be boring. The Christmas program is a chance for the kids to take a story they have already heard three or four times and make it real.
The kids, while taking time to memorize their lines, get a chance to consider what Mary thought when the angel appeared. While changing the scenery between acts, the children get a chance to think about Joseph and Mary on their long journey without a car or airplane. While practicing their lines for the 15th time, they finally ask mom or dad that inevitable question that has been on their mind, “Daddy, what is a virgin?” While putting on their improvised costumes, they might ask if people really used to dress like that and, more importantly, why? Best of all, they get to reenact the real story of the birth of Jesus, consider His whole life, death, and resurrection, and come closer to faith in Him.
And so we are doing another Christmas program this year at the church. Like every other year, there are going to be those quirks and mistakes on the stage. But that’s ok. It’s to be expected. The Christmas program is not meant to be polished and perfect. It is meant to be a vivid reminder for every kid who plays a part that Jesus is more than a program run by adults. The Christmas program is another chance for every child to take their faith in Jesus and make it real.
“So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us'” (Luke 2:15).