What do you see in this picture?
We asked a school teacher in our village to draw us a Filipino picture for Christmas and this picture is her work. This is a beautiful Filipina drawing of the nativity scene. You have five Filipino kids painting the scene. In the center are Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. In the upper left-hand corner, is the flag of the Philippines which wraps around the family and then becomes the swaddling clothes of Jesus and Mary’s head dressing. And upon their faces is the cross, the reason why Jesus came to earth as a child. The artist who drew this picture probably didn’t really understand the true meaning of what she actually drew upon their faces. Amazing!
Maybe like me, initially, you saw the red Christmas bow, the Filipino kids painting a picture and maybe the Philippine flag. Caught up in the little details of the picture you might not have seen Mary and Joseph, and baby Jesus in the center of the picture. If you didn’t see Him, take another look.
Christmas is upon us and I wonder how many of us see Jesus during this season? Or do we see the little, unimportant details of Christmas and miss the celebration of His birth? We miss Him when we are frantically running from store to store trying to find presents to put under the Christmas tree. We miss Him when we sing Christmas songs that having nothing to do with Him but all about the snow, tree, and home. We might even miss Him as we write those last-minute Christmas cards. Where is Jesus this year for you? Is He missing? Or is He “in the center of your picture?”
The picture above also reminds us that Jesus didn’t just come for one nation, but He came for the whole world . . . including our Agutaynen friends in the Philippines. What a beautiful picture of the true meaning of Christmas!
We hope your Christmas is centered on Christ Jesus as you celebrate and share the wonderful news of His birth.
Merry Christmas!