..anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.   Mark 10:15

I love the Christmas season. My favorite part of Christmas is the look on children’s faces as they watch in awe the stories of Santa and the way their faces light up when they talk about how wonderful Santa is and what terrific gifts he is going to bring them.

When you look at this child’s face you see such excitement and faith in this man called Santa. Rich or poor there is a period of time in a young child’s life when they are convinced Santa is real and nothing will stop him from delivering gifts all around the world in a miraculous fashion on Christmas Eve.

I remember the year my daughter asked “mommy, why doesn’t Santa Claus visit poor people?” That year she put money in the salvation army red pots every times she saw one. Alas, we all grow up and that awe and wonder and absolute faith in Santa disappears when we realize there is no such thing as a man in a red suit who loves all the children all around the world.

It is with this same innocence we are asked to put our faith in Jesus. We are asked to accept him “like a little child” (Mark 10:15). Christ wants us to look to Him with the awe, trust and wonder we put in a fat man in red suit. But there is one big difference. That fat man in the red suit is just that, a man in red suit. He doesn’t travel around the world with reindeer and deliver gifts to all children whether rich or poor. Jesus is God. He came to earth to be born and walk among the people, He was betrayed by one whom He loved dearly and beaten and crucified. It doesn’t end there. He defeated death and rose from the grave. Jesus is alive. He is preparing a place in heaven where we will spend eternity with Him. He paid the price for our entry into heaven by his sacrificial act of death and resurrection. There is price we must pay. We must accept that Jesus is the living Son of God and confess our sins. We must repent and seek to follow Him. His life and His love are everlasting.

This Christmas it is my prayer that in the midst of all the gifts, the wrappings, the parties, the cards and all the festivities involved that you will seek the reason for the season. Jesus Christ.