Theology Thursday: My Favorite Christmas Story

Welcome to Theology Thursday! Theology is the study of God, his relation to the world, and our relation to him. I hope these newsletters help enhance your faith and deepen your love for God and his people, the church.

Pastor Brady's thoughts:
Frosty the Snowman, the Miracle on 34th Street, a Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer, Home Alone, A Christmas Carol, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life…

There are so many fictionalized stories set during the Christmas season - some with predominant Christ-centered themes, some not so much. Many of these books and movies conjure precious memories of childhood wonder at this special time of year.

But my very favorite fictional Christmas story isn’t from a book or movie, but from a song: The Little Drummer Boy. 

Written in the 1940s and originally titled Carol of the Drum, the song tells of a little boy who accompanies the magi (or “wise men,” or “kings”) to visit baby Jesus. I love how it blends the real biblical story with a made-up character, who nonetheless has something important to say about Jesus, and us.

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

(I know, I know, the magi (and shepherds) weren’t there on Christmas night. And the Bible never says there were three of them. But, just as our scripture often uses poems and verse and allegories to reveal deeper truths, I think we’re on solid ground to display and marvel at our traditional nativity scenes, even though Jesus’s visitors probably arrived sometime later. The point is, they all dropped what they were doing to “traverse afar” to come pay tribute to the Son of God in human form. Our nativities are beautiful depictions of the first people to ever answer God’s call to pursue Jesus! How about that? Anyway…)

The lyrics say this group - including the young boy and his drum - were there to “honor” Jesus.

They weren’t just curious and they weren’t just fulfilling some type of social obligation or custom. In fact, they were making this journey at great inconvenience and cost. And they were doing it because, somehow, this little baby was worthy of honor - so much so, that these rich travelers were toting expensive and rare presents: gold (a precious metal), frankincense (a perfume), and myrrh (an oil used for anointing).

This wasn’t just any baby, this baby was a king, and a king deserves grand gifts. And that is just fine for the wealthy magi. But what of the little boy with the drum?

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 the King, pa-rum, pum-pum, pum

He probably felt embarrassed that he came empty handed to the manger-throne of the Messiah. He’s looking around at his well-off companions who are laying impressive offerings at the feet of Jesus and he feels out of place, unworthy of even being in the presence of such royalty. Why did he come? Why is he there? What can he possibly do that would be worthy of this Christ?

And then he remembers…his drum! He may not have material possessions, but he does have something he can offer Jesus! He can use his talent to play a song for the arrival of the incarnate God.

But he doesn’t assume; he asks for permission. He wants to be sure his actions serve only to contribute to the magnificence of the moment.    

Shall I play for you? pa-rum, pum-pum, pum
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 picture Mary smiling sweetly as she nods and approves the boy’s request. She probably wasn’t expecting to be serenaded by a rogue child and his snare, but then again, nothing about her life the past nine months or so had been expected.

So she watches as the boy observes impressive gifts being presented by important men of stature and status. She sees him thinking, feeling in his pockets, searching for anything he could offer as well. She sees him blush with embarrassment and look over his shoulder, wondering if he should just sneak out and leave. Maybe she even identifies with the boy. They’re both poor, she’s probably only a few years older than he is, and both of them feel small compared to the monumental event taking place before their very eyes.

It’s funny to think of this quaint setting, this “silent night,” interrupted by a rowdy boy banging away at his drum, annoying everyone and disturbing a peaceful family occasion. But I think the boy got it. He recognized what was going on here. And I think Mary trusted him. He looks up at her with hopeful eyes. “Do you think…do you think I could maybe play for your son? Would he like that?” Her eyes twinkle with appreciation for his sensitivity and his desire to add his name to the welcoming committee for her newborn baby who also, somehow, belongs to the whole world.

So he begins to play, softly. Just enough to underscore the arc of all of history being met in this very place at this very time. He plays. He’s on rhythm. He’s just a child - just a person - so it’s not perfect, but it’s good.

And then comes one of my very favorite lines of any Christmas song:

I played my best for him, pa-rum, pum-pum, pum

The baby king in his humble first bedroom, the baby’s mother and father watching over him in adoration and perhaps trepidation about what their lives together would now mean, the animals calmly accommodating their unexpected guests and even participating in this holy night, the shepherds and magi - grown adults - responding to prompting from heavenly hosts to come gaze upon their savior…

…This little drumming boy is so moved by the scene he knows instinctively that the infant deserves his very best. His very best! It’s all he has to give, but he can give it all, right there at the foot of a makeshift crib filled with hay. A humble but extraordinary gift for the humble but almighty Lord of lords.

I love the innocence of this boy who knows only that he is witnessing something marvelous and supernatural and world-changing, and responds in the only appropriate way: with worship. He doesn’t have gold, frankincense, or myrrh, but he does have his drum and the ability to make music in honor of the occasion. Would Jesus find this gift acceptable?

There’s one more line:

Then he smiled at me, pa-rum, pum-pum, pum

Of course he would. Of course Jesus would find this song of offering acceptable. He loves it. He loves it so much he smiles at the boy. Imagine the feeling! The long-awaited Messiah, the rescuer and redeemer of mankind, smiling at you in appreciation of your devotion! The boy’s heart must have thumped louder than his drum. He has delighted his king! His gift has been accepted, and so has he.

That’s where the song ends, but I’ve always wondered what additional verses might say. I bet the boy ran and told all of his friends and family the news. I bet he couldn’t keep quiet about it for days, weeks, months, his whole life. I can’t imagine the joy of telling and re-telling the story of the night he played his drum for Christ Jesus, lighting the manger aglow with the savior’s smile.

This story is not a historical occurrence, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a true story. The truth is that God is pleased when we take what he has given us - financial resources, yes, but also our gifts, talents, and abilities - and use them for his glory. In his son he gave us the best gift in the history of the world, and he deserves our best in return.

He loved us so much that his sacrificial Lamb is the example on which all other definitions of love are based. Our only response - the response that should pour out of us not just from obligation but deep desire - is to worship him with our voices, with our thoughts, with our actions, with our lives.

We are all the little boy with his drum: we offer our Messiah what we have, and we offer it to the utmost.

I played my best for him, pa-rum, pum-pum, pum

Merry Christmas.

To know God and make Him known!

Have a question for Theology Thursday? Send an email to office@minierchristian.org and we'll respond, or we'll include in a future Theology Thursday Buffet.