One of my favorite Christmas songs is The Little Drummer Boy. I realize that there is no reference in the Bible of a drummer boy and his encounter with the baby Christ, but the words of this song are so poignant that you can imagine it really happened.

To sum it up, the song talks of a little poor drummer boy that has no gift to bring to the baby King. So, he brings the only thing he has… himself. He plays a song on his drum for Mary and the baby and says, “I played my best for Him.” You can see a very nice version of this song at the link below.

In many ways, this song sums up the true meaning of Christmas:

1. Christ is the King and deserves our honor – Jesus fulfilled centuries of prophesy that God would send a Savior, His Son to redeem the world. The baby Christ is God in the flesh given to us as the most intimate and ultimate gift of all-time. He deserves our honor, our worship, and our obedience.
2. There is no earthly gift we could bring that is worthy – Though God’s Word says that earthly kings came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, there is truly nothing we could bring that is adequate to express our thanks for what God has done through Him. After all, He is the Creator of the earth, so we really have nothing we can offer that isn’t already His.
3. There is nothing else we can do that is worthy – Though the little drummer boy did the best and only thing he could do for the newborn King, it was truly inadequate. The same is true for us… there is nothing we could do in our entire lifetime that would earn God’s redemption. Though many try to “earn” God’s blessings and His promise of eternal life, there is nothing we could do ourselves to bridge the separation we have from a perfect and holy God.
4. Christ alone is worthy – This baby King, Jesus, ultimately did for us everything needed to restore us to a right relationship with God. He died on the cross and was miraculously resurrected to fulfill prophesy and pay our debt for our own sin. There is nothing we can do on our own behalf because Jesus alone is worthy. When we accept Him and His sacrifice to pay for our sins, we are restored to God and can look forward to an eternal home in heaven.

Christmas is not what we can do for God. It is not what we do for others, though we have a duty and honor to serve and meet the needs of others. Christmas is about what God did for us through that baby Christ born in the most humble way possible over two thousand years ago.

So, what is the only gift worthy of the King? That gift is our faith in Him and our acceptance of His sacrifice for our sins. That is really all we can offer that matters. I hope your Christmas is meaningful this year… full of hope, full of joy, and full of love for our King.

 

The Little Drummer Boy (lyrics alone)

Come they told me

A new born King to see

Our finest gifts we bring

To lay before the King

So to honor Him

When we come

Little baby I am a poor boy too

I have no gift to bring

That’s fit to give our King

Shall I play for you

On my drum

Mary nodded

The ox and lamb kept time

I played my drum for Him

I played my best for Him

Then He smiled at me

Me and my drum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ_MGWio-vc