Today in assembly we considered how much we enjoy the receiving and giving of presents. The excitement of holding them and trying to guess what is inside. The thrills and sometimes the disappointments; as well as the pleasure that can be gained from seeing the smile on someone else’s face, when they receive the gift we have so carefully thought about.
But we also reflected on the fact that sometimes we receive a present with great excitement and yet within a few days it is left at the bottom of a cupboard, a box or even under the bed. What was the centre of our attention, suddenly seems to be not as important anymore.
The question we considered is ‘do we also do the same with Jesus?’. For weeks He becomes the centre of our attention, our preparations for the celebration of the big day. Then suddenly the decorations are packed away, the nativity scene carefully placed in its box and we move on to other things.
Our Nativity scene at school has been packed away as well, but the stable remains and at its centre the baby Jesus. A reminder that God’s gift to us is a gift for us to enjoy and respond to every day, not just on the 25th December, once a year.
