The story of the Little Drummer Boy, though only legendary, is one of my favorite Christmas stories. It is the story of a little boy with a drum who came to see the baby, Jesus. When he realized who this baby was, the little drummer boy wanted to give him a gift to worship him. Sadly, the boy realized that he had nothing of value to give to this holy baby, until he remembered his drum. And so, the little drummer boy began to worship Jesus by playing on his drum.

What I love about this story is that it shows us that the kind of worship that God cherishes is the kind that comes from our authentic selves—our real selves. We don’t have to pretend to be someone we’re not. We don’t have to act a certain way in order to be better worshippers. We can worship God in the “style” that best fits who we are and what God has given to us. If we are shepherds from the field, we can kneel down in submission to the Savior. If we are wise men from the East, we can offer him gifts from among our great riches. If we are a poor drummer boy, we can offer him our talents and the joy of seeing us use our talents.

What can you offer to Jesus this Christmas season? Can you offer him your service, your riches, your talents, or even your very life?

As you ponder these things, don’t forget that we’ll be gathering to worship Jesus twice on Christmas Eve: 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Hope to see you there!