Every year around the same time, when a chill was in the
air, Snowman would come to visit. He loved playing with the children in the
front yard. He often dreamed of making a snow angel but sadly, his arms were
too short. His heart was filled with so much joy in the winter that everything
he heard and everything he would see was like a miracle to him. Every day was a
brand new chance at making new friends and playing a new game.
However, there was something Snowman didn't like—night time.
Everything would go quiet. The light in the sky would fade and the air would
grow colder.
Now it wasn't the darkness that bothered Snowman, and it
most certainly wasn't the cold. It was the loneliness. You see, when the
darkness came, all the children had to go inside. But Snowman didn't need to
sleep. Instead, every night he would stand in the yard thinking about the day.
He would get very excited, but he didn't have anyone to share his thoughts
with. That made him very sad.
One day a bad storm hit, which was really cool because all
the kids got to stay home from school. They played for hours and it was so much
fun! But when night time came there weren't any lights on anywhere. The whole
town was dark and eerily quiet. Snowman wasn't sure what happened but something
wasn't right. Since there were no lights on in the house, he couldn't watch his
family eat dinner and he couldn't see the children running through the house
still filled with energy. Snowman was a little worried until he noticed
something different. He saw a small flicker almost like a sparkle. Then the
flicker turned into a glow. This was strange--he had never seen anything like
it. It was a light but it had a relaxing movement to it and such a soft way of
filling the room with life.
He noticed the children coming close to it with their noses
and how they seemed to enjoy this light more than other lights. He saw them
reach out to touch it, but for some reason their mother scolded them and pushed
their hands away. This was confusing to Snowman. Why would mom not want the
children to touch something so beautiful? Snowman tried to think of a way that
he could get closer to the flickering light.
He remembered every year about this time his family would go
away for a couple days. He wasn't sure why, but they would always pack the car
with beautifully wrapped boxes and off they would go. Maybe he could sneak into
the house and figure out what the strange light was. Oh! He was so excited! Usually
when his family left he would become sad--but this year was going to be
different!
Night after night he would work on his plan It was going to
be perfect! No one would ever know. All he could think about was the light. When
the day finally came, he watched and waited, trying not to move too soon. He
was nervous and excited at the same time. “Come on! Hurry up and leave!”
Snowman thought to himself. The family packed the car, jumped in, and off they
went.
Snowman was ready! As soon as the light in the sky went out
he would make his move. It seemed to take forever. Snowman started his trek
around to the back of the house. He crept up the steps and slid in the back
door. The air was very warm so he knew he had to hurry.
Cleaning up his melting snow as he went, he made his way to
the room with the big window. There it was, sitting on the table—a candle! For
some reason, it wasn't as beautiful as it seemed from outside. The top was all
black and ugly blobs of wax clung to the sides. “Well, maybe if I light the candle,
it will be pretty like before.”
Knowing he was starting to melt, Snowman quickly found some
matches. He had seen his family use these to light the candle. He watched the
flame come to life, but still the beauty was not there. What was missing? Why wasn't
he feeling the joy he had felt before when it was burning?
Suddenly, his tummy felt funny. He wasn't excited anymore
and the water dripping from him wasn't from the melting snow; it came from his
eyes. Snowman knew how it felt to be sad, but he had never cried.
He realized at that moment that the beauty wasn't from the
candle itself but was from what the candle allowed him to see—the radiant faces
of the children laughing, mom making hot chocolate, and dad reading the kids a
bedtime story. The joy he felt inside wasn't from the glow of a candle it was
from the love he felt for his family.
Snowman knew it was time for him to get back outside. He
blew out the candle, cleaned up his mess, and quietly crept out to the yard filled
with excitement that his family would soon be home. “Come on! Hurry up and come
home!” he thought.
It seemed to take forever, but finally his family arrived.
Snowman's happiness returned. Never had he missed them this much.
The End
When I read this scripture, I see the women at the well scene
in the Walk Through Bethlehem play. Anne Hill, in her cranberry-colored gown,
leans in to gossip. She whispers, “My husband says…” and then she tells the
other women what she knows of the coming messiah. As the scene progresses, the
audience learns that the women expect a messiah who will free the Jewish people
from Roman Oppression. They, like many of us, do not fully understand Jesus’
name, “Prince of Peace”.
