The following story is based upon the popular Christmas carol, “The Little Drummer Boy” by Katherine Kennicott Davis (1941).
Pa-rum-pum-pum-pum! I played my drum as loud as I could. I looked down at my empty hat on the ground near the road, not a single coin inside. I had never seen our little town of Bethlehem so crowded. People were coming from everywhere and not all of them were nice.
“Get off the street!” one angry outsider yelled. The sun was setting. I picked up my drum and started to walk home.
Then I heard a voice from behind me say, “Come!” I turned and saw three men wearing the finest clothing I had ever seen.
“Come,” said the man again. “Come see the newborn king! We bring gifts to honor him. We’ve followed a star to this very place. Come join us, little boy.”
How could I say no? I’ve never seen a king before so I followed the men looking closely at the extravagant gifts they brought with them. Then I realized that I had nothing to give to the king!
The men looked to the sky at a star shining bright above. “Come, it is just this way behind that inn over there.”
We walked around the inn and came to a stable with oxen, lambs, and other animals all around. I saw a man and a woman smiling over a manger. Inside the manger there lay a baby boy.
The rich men knelt before the child and opened their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I knelt as well, but I had no gift to give. All I had was my drum.
“Shall I play for you?” I asked.
The mother nodded so I began to play: Pa-rum-pum-pum-pum. Pa-rum-pum-pum-pum.
That baby boy looked up to the sound of my drum and he was smiling! He was giggling and laughing! This newborn king smiled at me, me and my drum!
I didn’t go home that night with any riches. I still had nothing to give, but in that moment, I had been given everything. I had never been so full of peace and joy.
Reflection Questions
- What did the boy feel as he arrived to meet the King? What did he feel when he left?
- If you could meet Jesus the King today, what talent could you perform for him?
- What message could this story have for us during this season of expensive presents?
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