by Chase Hawkins
But since society has moved on from Christmas just as quickly as it began playing Christmas music after October, we often miss this. We don’t hear any more holiday songs while we’re flipping through the radio in the car or perusing through the mall or pretty much any other pharmacy/grocery store. No longer do we hear songs like “White Christmas”, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”, “Frosty the Snowman”, and what have you. One of the songs that I heard quite often leading up to Christmas day is “Little Drummer Boy”.
“Little Drummer Boy” is an American classic when it comes to Christmas songs. Written by an American music teacher in the 1940s, the song has become increasingly popular as it has been recorded by a number of various musicians. The song is about a young boy who goes with the Three Magi to visit the nativity of Jesus Christ’s birth. Having no gifts for the baby Jesus, the boy plays his drum for Jesus. The lyrics are as follows:
“Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum
pa rum pum pum pum, pa rum pum pum pum
So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum
When we come.
Little baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That’s fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum
pa rum pum pum pum, pa rum pum pum pum
Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum
On my drum?
Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Christ, pa rum pum pum pum
pa rum pum pum pum, pa rum pum pum pum
Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum”
The Little Drummer Boy does not have any material gifts to bring to his King and Savior Jesus Christ. The only thing He has to offer is his drum. But Jesus doesn’t want the boy’s drum. He wants the boy to use the drum. He wants to hear and see him use his talents. Similarly, Jesus doesn’t want our talents alone. Jesus wants to see, hear, and feel us put our talents to use. For example, if you have a talent for leadership, you can’t give Jesus leadership. You must put your leadership to use in building up the Kingdom of Heaven.
How exactly can we do this? As I like to say often: let’s take a look at Scripture.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me…’” (Matthew 25:31-40).
The Little Drummer Boy didn’t give Jesus his drum, he used his talents to play the drum. In the same way, we can’t simply offer our talents to Jesus, we have to put our talents to use. This is the gift that we can give to our Savior this Christmas season.
St. Francis of Assisi, ora pro nobis.
St. Margaret Clitherow of York, ora pro nobis.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, ora pro nobis.
~Chawkins.
There are many versions of this song, but this is personally one of my favorites:
"Little Drummer Boy" by MercyMe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb2VLQhHpNU