Where is he who is born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. —Matthew 2:2
For 11-year-old Caroline and her younger brother Tom the days before Christmas seemed to be lasting forever. One afternoon while they were watching television, Dad brought them a surprise. It was an ordinary looking little plant in a small clay pot.
“It’s a Christmas rose,” he said. “There’s a legend about it. Long ago, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, many people brought him gifts. One little girl wanted to give a gift to the baby, too, but her family was so poor she had nothing to take. She was so sad she began to cry. Where her tears fell on the ground, a plant grew up and on the plant a beautiful white flower bloomed. This plant became the girl’s gift to the Christ Child, and its flower was the first Christmas rose. If you two take good care of this plant, I think it will bloom by Christmas morning.”
Tom and Caroline agreed to watch over the Christmas rose. At first things did not go well. It was difficult for the two to work together. But as the plant grew and put out new leaves, the children became more and more interested in caring for it.
At last it was Christmas Eve. The plant had almost doubled in size and a bud had appeared at the tip of a stem. Tom and Caroline were excited. They determined to stay up through the night and watch the bud open. More than once they almost drifted to sleep. Not long before dawn, the bud opened. The children saw a beautiful Christmas rose.
Later that morning in church, Caroline and Tom placed the rose on the altar. It was their gift to welcome the newborn Christ Child.
Lord, help us to open our hearts and welcome you in once again. Teach us your ways.
Guy Johnson