THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER Bible Reading PlanExemplo

True giving isn’t about the size or value of the gift, but the sincerity and love behind it. We see time and time again in the Bible that God honors those who give with a pure heart.

In THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER, Beth witnesses this when her father brings the family along on a church outreach mission to deliver hams. When he brings a ham to the Herdman house, his family watches from the car, surprised by the enthusiastic reaction. With no parents home, the Herdman kids answer the door, excitedly shouting, “It’s ham day!” and “It’s the ham man!” Imogene immediately warns her siblings not to eat the ham before Christmas.

Later, during the Christmas pageant, the Herdman brothers—playing the Wise Men—bring that very ham as their gift to the baby Jesus. While some in the audience find this puzzling, Beth knows exactly where the ham came from and the meaning behind it. When the girl beside her says, outraged, “They probably don’t even like ham!” Beth quietly responds, “Yes they do. They love ham.” After the pageant, Beth brings the ham to Imogene and says, “Here’s your ham, great prop.” Imogene responds, “It wasn’t a prop. It was a gift from the boys.”

No one thought the Herdmans had much to offer. They weren’t the sweet, well-behaved children who normally starred in the pageant. But the genuineness they showed by bringing that ham spoke volumes. The gift they gave, though simple and unconventional for a Christmas Pageant, showed true sacrifice in a way that no one else involved in the pageant had ever shown.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

• How does the gift of ham in the story reflect the heart of the Christmas story?
• What does it look like to give from the heart, especially when you feel like you don’t have much to offer?
• How can we, as Christians, stay open minded to the people God places in our lives and the lessons they might be able to teach us?