Today, let's think about where our focus should be this Christmas and always. 

 Let's consider the scripture, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”  Philippians 2:3 ESV 

And then let’s listen to a young child who thinks she should be the star of the Christmas play and see if we can learn anything about ourselves. 
 

Pageant practice starts today.

Children’s hands wave in the air,

“Pick me! Pick me! Pick me,” they say.

The teacher is choosing the cast for the show.

 

I’m waving my hand there in the front row.

 
She thinks she would make a great "Mary," or the angel who announces Jesus’ birth.  And failing to get picked for those starring roles, she places her hopes on being a wiseman, or Joseph or the innkeeper.  But no, the teacher has other ideas.  The roles for the shepherds are left, and the little girl is really not too thrilled about that position. 
 
But then she stops to think about the shepherds’ role in the real story and says,
 

"I think about the part they played when Jesus came to earth.

shepherds were the ones who heard the news of Jesus birth,

 

And though they don’t wear halos, 

and they don’t have golden wings

and even though it seems they don’t have special songs to sing,

and even though they look a little tattered, it’s alright.

‘cause the shepherds had a special part to play 

that Christmas night.

 

So, I raise my hand again and say,

“Teacher, please pick me!

A little shepherd girl is what I truly want to be!”

 

The teacher smiled and said she’d always hoped that I would see

the shepherd girl is just like someone I should want to be -

a girl who ran to see the babe

and bowed there in the stall

with eyes for HIM and not herself, 

and a heart of LOVE – that’s all.

 
May we see the Christ Child rather than ourselves this Christmas, and like the little girl in the poem, may we realize that we don’t need to be the star of the show for God to give us a special job to do.