Come they told me, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum A newborn king to see, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum
Who doesn’t recognize these words taken from the popular Christmas song, “The Little Drummer Boy?” Thinking about that song brings back childhood memories of my time in elementary school when we had the auditions for the roles in the nativity play. Since I was not blessed with a singing voice, I was hopeful to get one of the acting roles.
Selections were made for the key role of Joseph, the ever-popular faithful shepherds, and the coveted role of the three kings.
I was not among them. I didn’t even get the unknown and least popular role of the drummer boy.
As a little kid, I actually never understood the significance of this role and what it meant for the deeper meaning of the Christmas story. The legend states the drummer boy was invited by others to come and worship the newborn king—Jesus, the Son of Mary, born in Bethlehem. The reluctant drummer had nothing to offer, nothing to give but himself on the cold winter morning.
How many times have we been told to come and see this king? Perhaps it was a grandmother, a parent, or a friend. Surely countless times in our lives, we have been invited, by the words of others and by the silent thoughts of our own hearts, to come and see Jesus.
When people do invite us to come and meet this Jesus, we instinctively understand what’s at stake: If this little baby is truly the Son of God and the Savior of the world, then He deserves our very best. Only the finest gifts are worthy of this little king.
Perhaps I might suggest that the finest gift we could ever offer is the gift of ourselves — the one gift that only we can give, the one gift He desires to receive. The gift of ourselves is best seen in the act of worship, our daily prayer, our commitment to the sacraments, and to the works of mercy.
As we celebrate the true gift of Christmas, we can be inspired by this young child, the little drummer boy, who gave the gift of himself, acknowledged by Mary’s nod, to be part of that first Christmas. May we rejoice in the Incarnation — God becoming one of us and may we share that love with others.
A blessed Christmas to all.