Only One Lion ~ by Jane Reedy

You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.  Luke 1:31-33

A few years ago, when daylight savings time ended, it was dark when I went to work and dark when I got home, but that didn’t deter me from taking a daily walk. In fact, I enjoyed going through the neighborhood in the evening as homes were being prepared for Christmas. I’d see lights draped over bushes, decorated trees in the windows and wreaths on the front doors.

As I turned down a cul-de-sac, I noticed a home that only had one figurine in the front yard: a lit-up plastic lion, about five feet high, wearing a purple robe, with a mane around his face and a crown on his head. I assumed that the family had just started decorating, but as Christmas approached, it became apparent that there wasn’t going to be any Santa with his reindeer or dancing snowman, just this plastic lion wearing a purple robe with a mane around his face and a crown on his head.

It didn’t seem very Christmas-y to me until I thought about it more. Jesus came to be our King. He was born in a stable, wrapped in cloth and placed in a manger without much fanfare. We celebrate his birth on Christmas day and have four weeks of Advent to prepare. Yet how often does he get lost among the shopping, the wrapping, the baking, the eating, the visiting, and the list goes on. By Christmas afternoon, most of us are ready for a nap.

Yes, the more I thought about it, perhaps the plastic lion was the perfect decoration; he didn’t get lost in the lights and tinsel and gifts. Standing in the middle of the yard wearing the purple robe with the mane around his face and crown on his head, he was a good reminder of what Christmas is all about – the celebration of Christ our King!

Dear God – This Christmas, as we spend time celebrating with family and friends, help us to not overlook the precious gift that you have given us – your son. Amen