Davy
Children's sermon
Daniel J. Weitner
And Other Reflections On Christmas
Object:
A Children's Christmas Story
Davy counted his change one last time before zipping up his thick coat, pulling his woolen ski cap over his head, and putting on his warm gloves. He smiled. Just as he had figured: 25 dollars. Not a penny more and not a penny less. Twenty-five dollars that he had earned.
In February, after the big blizzard, Mrs. MacGregor, who lived down the street, was not able to go to the store for milk and bread. She had asked Davy to go for her, and gave him a five- dollar bill to pay for the food.
When he delivered what Mrs. MacGregor had wanted, he gave her the two dollars and five cents that was her change. But Mrs. MacGregor refused to take it. Instead, she smiled and said, "No, Davy, you've earned that money by trudging through all that snow and slush for me. Please keep it. And thank you very much for your help."
During the summer, Davy had helped the librarians in town sort a lot of books. Two young men, who thought they were just playing a practical joke, had broken into the library one night and mixed up all the books in two whole stacks of bookshelves before the police arrived and arrested them. Over the next few days, Davy and a girl in his class put the books back on the shelves in the right order, so people could find them and use them.
After they were done, Dr. Stelmeyer, the head librarian, gave one envelope to Sylvia and one to Davy. Inside each envelope was a brand new ten-dollar bill and a brand new five-dollar bill. Dr. Stelmeyer had written a note which said, "All the librarians at the South Middleton Public Library want to thank you for taking the time to help us rearrange books after the recent break-in. Yours sincerely, Ms. Laura Michaels, Mr. John LaGrange, and Dr. Elizabeth Stelmeyer."
Later that same year, in the fall, Davy's father had fallen from a ladder. Mr. Blackman had set the ladder against the house, just outside Davy's second-floor bedroom; he wanted to clean out the gutters before winter came. But a big gust of wind came along. The ladder -- and Davy's dad -- came crashing down. Mr. Blackman's right leg was broken, and his right wrist was terribly sprained. "Davy," he said several days after the accident, "I always do the leaf-raking, but not this year, I'm afraid! Will you do it? Because it is hard work, and something that I do not expect you to do until you are older," he explained, "I will give you several dollars after the job is done." Davy agreed.
After all the leaves were raked, Davy's dad gave his son a five-dollar bill and a ten-dollar bill -- fifteen dollars all together. Now Davy had 27 dollars and five cents. After he bought a Mini-Machine AT-3 attack fighter and an almond chocolate candy bar, he had exactly 25 dollars.
It was money that he had saved all year long. And he knew just what he was going to do. He was going to the store to get Christmas presents for his family. And that is exactly what Davy did.
For his sister Krystal he bought a new brown wallet. The one she had used for years was falling apart.
For his sister Shannon he bought a roll of film. She was always using her camera to get pictures of her friends.
For his mom he bought a pair of navy blue shoes at the BuyMore discount shoe store. Because she walked so much, Mom always needed an extra pair of shoes.
And for his dad he bought a #3 Philips screwdriver. Dad said his #2 screwdriver was just a little too small sometimes, and would slip.
After Davy was done buying the last thing on his Christmas list, he had 85 cents left. He bought five chocolate mints. He figured he would tape one mint on each of the four presents. He ate the fifth one.
Before long, it was Christmas Eve. After going to the late night church service on Christmas Eve with their parents, Davy and his sisters ran home as quickly as they could. They burst into the warm house and turned on the lights. Davy sat down in the big comforable chair. Shannon and Krystal went into the kitchen. A few minutes later, their mom and dad joined them.
In the living room, under the brightly-lit Christmas tree, were what seemed to be a hundred packages, all in paper wrapping of green, red, and white. The family decided they would open their gifts right then and there.
Davy saw a small stack of presents just in front of the tree. It was the wallet, the film, the shoes, and the tool he had bought for his family. He smiled as, first his dad, then Shannon, next Krystal, and finally his mom, opened the neatly-wrapped gifts. Each of them thanked Davy for his thoughtfulness.
Then Mom said, "Now, Davy, we have some things for you!" She pointed to a number of presents that were in front of the tree, just to the left of where he was sitting on the carpet.
The pile was big. In fact, to Davy, it was huge! There must have been eight -- no, a dozen -- packages, all with his name on them! One of the tags said, "Merry Christmas. To Davy. From Shannon." Three boxes had tags that said, "Christmas Joy! To Davy. Hugs 'n' kisses from Krystal." The rest of the presents had tags that said, "Peace at Christmastime. To Davy. Love, Mom and Dad."
Davy stared. Davy swallowed hard. Davy thought and thought. Davy measured the pile with his eyes. Davy frowned. There was no doubt. Next to what he had given to his parents and sisters -- why, what his family had given to him was a skyscraper!
After a minute, he said, in a kind of thoughtful and drawn- out way, "No-o-o-o, I don't think so."
It was Shannon who was the first to speak. "Take a chill, Davy! Whaddya mean, 'I don't think so'? Are you saying you don't like our Christmas presents?" Mom was upset, too. "What's going on, David John?" she asked.
"I don't know, Mom," Davy answered. Turning to Shannon, he said, "It's not that I hate what you guys gave me. I haven't even opened anything, so I don't know what's inside." Then turning to the whole family, he explained, "It's just that you've given me so much, and I've given you so little. I can't accept your presents!"
Well, no sooner had he exclaimed, "I can't accept your presents," than a deep rumble shook the entire house. No one in the room seemed to notice. He was just about to say, "Hey! Didn't you hear that?" But before he could open his mouth, an amazing change came over everything.
* The big Christmas tree just vanished.
* A thousand colored lights which he had seen shimmering through the living room window disappeared.
* A string of Christmas cards which had hung over and beside the front door was... gone!
* A CD of "Silent Night" and other Christmas songs which had been playing could no longer be heard.
It was very quiet -- too quiet. And the presents? Every last one of them was missing. No red, green, and white wrapping paper. No bows. No tags. Davy shouted, "Where are the presents I gave everybody?" "'Presents'?" his dad said, as if he had never heard the word before. "What's 'presents'?"
Davy was annoyed. "You know, Dad! Things we buy for each other and give at Christmas." Now Dad was annoyed. "There you go again, David John, using words that nobody understands," he said. "What's this 'Cris-mus' you're talking about? I never heard of it before." Mom said, "I'll bet it's one of those new holidays -- you know, the kind some card company dreamed up, like Bosses' Day or Grandparents' Day, so they could make more money. If it is, you can just forget about it, because I don't want any part of it."
Davy couldn't believe his ears! His mom and dad didn't know what Christmas was? As he was thinking of something to say, he saw a faint glow where the Christmas tree had stood just a couple of minutes before. It quickly grew brighter, and took the shape of ... could it be? Yes, it was an angel!
The other people in the room didn't see him. They seemed to be frozen in place, as when somebody presses "Pause" on a video player. "Davy," the angel said firmly. Davy was scared. "Uh ... yeah?" he finally managed to croak.
"Davy, there isn't any Christmas celebration. There aren't any presents. There's no tree, either. Or lights. Or carols. Because a long, long time ago, the people I visited in Bethlehem -- the shepherds -- refused to accept God's gift that I had been sent to announce.
"I shared the good news with them. I said, 'I bring you wonderful tidings... This day, in the city of David, a Savior [is born for you]. He is Christ the Lord... You will find him lying in a manger.'
"But they answered, 'We will not go.'
"I was amazed. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I said, 'Why won't you see the wonderful thing that God has done for you?' The shepherds said, 'We cannot receive God's Son, because we are poor. Don't you see? God has given us so much, and we can give him so little.'
"Davy, do you understand? There is no Christmas, because people just like you would not reach out and take the gift. The gift that was theirs to take. The gift that was free. The gift of love. Now it's too late."
As the angel and the light surrounding him began to grow dim, he put a hand softly on Davy's shoulder and said sadly, "It's late. It's late."
Davy awoke to the gentle sound of his mother's voice. She had put her hand on his shoulder, and was saying, "It's late. Maybe you'd like to wait until morning to open our Christmas gifts." Davy's eyes snapped open. Christmas gifts? The tree! It was still there, just where it belonged! So were the cards, the lights. And ...
And the little nativity scene. He'd forgotten about that! Little figures of Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus.
And the shepherds. He had never noticed before that the artist who had sculpted the tiny shepherd figures made them so their hands were reaching out, palms up, as if they were about to take something.
"The Gift," Davy whispered. "They're taking the Gift. Even though they're going to receive everything and don't have gold, frankincense, or myrrh or anything to give in return, they're taking the Gift."
Turning his head back from the tableau, a broad smile grew over his entire face as he said, "No, Mom, I really think now -- right now -- is the time to give ... and receive."
Davy counted his change one last time before zipping up his thick coat, pulling his woolen ski cap over his head, and putting on his warm gloves. He smiled. Just as he had figured: 25 dollars. Not a penny more and not a penny less. Twenty-five dollars that he had earned.
In February, after the big blizzard, Mrs. MacGregor, who lived down the street, was not able to go to the store for milk and bread. She had asked Davy to go for her, and gave him a five- dollar bill to pay for the food.
When he delivered what Mrs. MacGregor had wanted, he gave her the two dollars and five cents that was her change. But Mrs. MacGregor refused to take it. Instead, she smiled and said, "No, Davy, you've earned that money by trudging through all that snow and slush for me. Please keep it. And thank you very much for your help."
During the summer, Davy had helped the librarians in town sort a lot of books. Two young men, who thought they were just playing a practical joke, had broken into the library one night and mixed up all the books in two whole stacks of bookshelves before the police arrived and arrested them. Over the next few days, Davy and a girl in his class put the books back on the shelves in the right order, so people could find them and use them.
After they were done, Dr. Stelmeyer, the head librarian, gave one envelope to Sylvia and one to Davy. Inside each envelope was a brand new ten-dollar bill and a brand new five-dollar bill. Dr. Stelmeyer had written a note which said, "All the librarians at the South Middleton Public Library want to thank you for taking the time to help us rearrange books after the recent break-in. Yours sincerely, Ms. Laura Michaels, Mr. John LaGrange, and Dr. Elizabeth Stelmeyer."
Later that same year, in the fall, Davy's father had fallen from a ladder. Mr. Blackman had set the ladder against the house, just outside Davy's second-floor bedroom; he wanted to clean out the gutters before winter came. But a big gust of wind came along. The ladder -- and Davy's dad -- came crashing down. Mr. Blackman's right leg was broken, and his right wrist was terribly sprained. "Davy," he said several days after the accident, "I always do the leaf-raking, but not this year, I'm afraid! Will you do it? Because it is hard work, and something that I do not expect you to do until you are older," he explained, "I will give you several dollars after the job is done." Davy agreed.
After all the leaves were raked, Davy's dad gave his son a five-dollar bill and a ten-dollar bill -- fifteen dollars all together. Now Davy had 27 dollars and five cents. After he bought a Mini-Machine AT-3 attack fighter and an almond chocolate candy bar, he had exactly 25 dollars.
It was money that he had saved all year long. And he knew just what he was going to do. He was going to the store to get Christmas presents for his family. And that is exactly what Davy did.
For his sister Krystal he bought a new brown wallet. The one she had used for years was falling apart.
For his sister Shannon he bought a roll of film. She was always using her camera to get pictures of her friends.
For his mom he bought a pair of navy blue shoes at the BuyMore discount shoe store. Because she walked so much, Mom always needed an extra pair of shoes.
And for his dad he bought a #3 Philips screwdriver. Dad said his #2 screwdriver was just a little too small sometimes, and would slip.
After Davy was done buying the last thing on his Christmas list, he had 85 cents left. He bought five chocolate mints. He figured he would tape one mint on each of the four presents. He ate the fifth one.
Before long, it was Christmas Eve. After going to the late night church service on Christmas Eve with their parents, Davy and his sisters ran home as quickly as they could. They burst into the warm house and turned on the lights. Davy sat down in the big comforable chair. Shannon and Krystal went into the kitchen. A few minutes later, their mom and dad joined them.
In the living room, under the brightly-lit Christmas tree, were what seemed to be a hundred packages, all in paper wrapping of green, red, and white. The family decided they would open their gifts right then and there.
Davy saw a small stack of presents just in front of the tree. It was the wallet, the film, the shoes, and the tool he had bought for his family. He smiled as, first his dad, then Shannon, next Krystal, and finally his mom, opened the neatly-wrapped gifts. Each of them thanked Davy for his thoughtfulness.
Then Mom said, "Now, Davy, we have some things for you!" She pointed to a number of presents that were in front of the tree, just to the left of where he was sitting on the carpet.
The pile was big. In fact, to Davy, it was huge! There must have been eight -- no, a dozen -- packages, all with his name on them! One of the tags said, "Merry Christmas. To Davy. From Shannon." Three boxes had tags that said, "Christmas Joy! To Davy. Hugs 'n' kisses from Krystal." The rest of the presents had tags that said, "Peace at Christmastime. To Davy. Love, Mom and Dad."
Davy stared. Davy swallowed hard. Davy thought and thought. Davy measured the pile with his eyes. Davy frowned. There was no doubt. Next to what he had given to his parents and sisters -- why, what his family had given to him was a skyscraper!
After a minute, he said, in a kind of thoughtful and drawn- out way, "No-o-o-o, I don't think so."
It was Shannon who was the first to speak. "Take a chill, Davy! Whaddya mean, 'I don't think so'? Are you saying you don't like our Christmas presents?" Mom was upset, too. "What's going on, David John?" she asked.
"I don't know, Mom," Davy answered. Turning to Shannon, he said, "It's not that I hate what you guys gave me. I haven't even opened anything, so I don't know what's inside." Then turning to the whole family, he explained, "It's just that you've given me so much, and I've given you so little. I can't accept your presents!"
Well, no sooner had he exclaimed, "I can't accept your presents," than a deep rumble shook the entire house. No one in the room seemed to notice. He was just about to say, "Hey! Didn't you hear that?" But before he could open his mouth, an amazing change came over everything.
* The big Christmas tree just vanished.
* A thousand colored lights which he had seen shimmering through the living room window disappeared.
* A string of Christmas cards which had hung over and beside the front door was... gone!
* A CD of "Silent Night" and other Christmas songs which had been playing could no longer be heard.
It was very quiet -- too quiet. And the presents? Every last one of them was missing. No red, green, and white wrapping paper. No bows. No tags. Davy shouted, "Where are the presents I gave everybody?" "'Presents'?" his dad said, as if he had never heard the word before. "What's 'presents'?"
Davy was annoyed. "You know, Dad! Things we buy for each other and give at Christmas." Now Dad was annoyed. "There you go again, David John, using words that nobody understands," he said. "What's this 'Cris-mus' you're talking about? I never heard of it before." Mom said, "I'll bet it's one of those new holidays -- you know, the kind some card company dreamed up, like Bosses' Day or Grandparents' Day, so they could make more money. If it is, you can just forget about it, because I don't want any part of it."
Davy couldn't believe his ears! His mom and dad didn't know what Christmas was? As he was thinking of something to say, he saw a faint glow where the Christmas tree had stood just a couple of minutes before. It quickly grew brighter, and took the shape of ... could it be? Yes, it was an angel!
The other people in the room didn't see him. They seemed to be frozen in place, as when somebody presses "Pause" on a video player. "Davy," the angel said firmly. Davy was scared. "Uh ... yeah?" he finally managed to croak.
"Davy, there isn't any Christmas celebration. There aren't any presents. There's no tree, either. Or lights. Or carols. Because a long, long time ago, the people I visited in Bethlehem -- the shepherds -- refused to accept God's gift that I had been sent to announce.
"I shared the good news with them. I said, 'I bring you wonderful tidings... This day, in the city of David, a Savior [is born for you]. He is Christ the Lord... You will find him lying in a manger.'
"But they answered, 'We will not go.'
"I was amazed. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I said, 'Why won't you see the wonderful thing that God has done for you?' The shepherds said, 'We cannot receive God's Son, because we are poor. Don't you see? God has given us so much, and we can give him so little.'
"Davy, do you understand? There is no Christmas, because people just like you would not reach out and take the gift. The gift that was theirs to take. The gift that was free. The gift of love. Now it's too late."
As the angel and the light surrounding him began to grow dim, he put a hand softly on Davy's shoulder and said sadly, "It's late. It's late."
Davy awoke to the gentle sound of his mother's voice. She had put her hand on his shoulder, and was saying, "It's late. Maybe you'd like to wait until morning to open our Christmas gifts." Davy's eyes snapped open. Christmas gifts? The tree! It was still there, just where it belonged! So were the cards, the lights. And ...
And the little nativity scene. He'd forgotten about that! Little figures of Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus.
And the shepherds. He had never noticed before that the artist who had sculpted the tiny shepherd figures made them so their hands were reaching out, palms up, as if they were about to take something.
"The Gift," Davy whispered. "They're taking the Gift. Even though they're going to receive everything and don't have gold, frankincense, or myrrh or anything to give in return, they're taking the Gift."
Turning his head back from the tableau, a broad smile grew over his entire face as he said, "No, Mom, I really think now -- right now -- is the time to give ... and receive."
