I have theological issues with "The Little Drummer Boy" or I have a ham on the back porch

Any behavior which is not dependent on Him living His life through us comes from the flesh. That suggests that it is even possible to be busy doing things for God while our actions still stem from the energy of the flesh. The exchanged life means we depend on His resources, not our own. Flesh life means depending on what I can do. We may be well respected for our zeal and service to Christ and yet be relying on the flesh. Steve McVey Grace Walk

I had a hard time picking my title, so I’ll explain the stories behind the two.

First, my theological problem with the drummer kid. Here’s the thing…I like him. He seems like a fine young man, if a little presumptuous and nosy to barge his way into the stable and then bother this woman who has just given birth. But whatever. Maybe he didn’t know any better. Maybe his parents actually did raise him in a barn. Here’s the line that bugs me: “I played my drum for Him, I played my best for Him.” I think that just perpetuates the idea among Christian folks that if we just do our best, He’ll smile at us and all will be well. Let’s face it—even at my best, I do little that is good enough to elicit a grin or chuckle from my Maker. I just wanted to point out that the smile this kid gets from the baby Jesus could just be gas. Or maybe the nod from Mary is a signal of sorts, like Carol Burnett used to tug on her ear. Maybe that was her polite way of telling Joseph she really needed everybody out so she could lie down for a minute. Okay…maybe Jesus is really smiling at the kid. He is, after all, Lord of the Universe. He can smile if He wants to.

And while I try to stay away from this kind of thing, the other title is an inside joke for my family. I am going to try to explain it, which will make it not funny at all, but it’s worth it to me to tickle my family. Every year when I was growing up, we left our home—wherever it was—and traveled to my grandparents’ home in Tennessee. I loved going. I still love the memories of showing up at Papa and Mimsey’s house on Christmas Eve, eating sliced apples and cider, and then waiting anxiously for what the next day held. After a wonderful morning at Mimsey’s house, we headed over to Granny and Papa’s for another family Christmas. It was loud and fun, there were too many kids and too much food, and by the end of the night we were all exhausted. Honestly, some of the best memories of my childhood revolve around those trips for Christmas to Tennessee. We generally stayed for several days after Christmas, and anytime anyone was hungry, my Mimsey would say, “There’s a ham out on the back porch. Go slice yourself a piece.” That was great the first day after Christmas, but by day five, none of us wanted any more of the ham on the back porch. So when I walked out on the balcony tonight, which I call the porch, I giggled when I realized that I did, indeed, have a ham on the back porch. Our fridge and freezer are packed full from my shopping trip, so some stuff had to go on the balcony, which is far colder than the fridge when the window is cracked. In fact, it’s practically a second fridge, since it’s packed with milk, cokes, juice, and meat right now. We learned this trick from our friends who have five children—one day’s worth of groceries would fill their fridge for that many kids, so their balcony is a second fridge, too. I can foresee that there is little chance that I won’t encourage my family to go get a slice of the ham on the back porch in the next few days. So for my parents, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins—there’s a ham on the back porch. Enjoy!
Well, I’d better run. I need to get our Sunday brunch started. That’s one of the traditions we’ve started since we came—since our church meets in the afternoon, we sleep late on Sundays and have a big brunch. We really enjoy having calmer, less hurried Sundays. So on Sundays, we eat brunch and then supper after we get home. It’s something that’s fun for us and different from our lives in the States. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that your Sunday is full of worship and praise for the King of kings. Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye