The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. They lied and stole and smoked cigars (even the girls) and talked dirty and hit little kids and cussed their teachers and took the name of the Lord in vain and set fire to Fred Shoemaker’s old broken-down toolhouse.
Barbara Robinson authored three books involving the Herdman children, the roughest, meanest, dirtiest children in town. The most popular in the series is The Worst Best Christmas Pageant Ever. This happens to be the only book in the series that I have read. It’s funny, it’s charming, it’s childish, and it’s endearing. That seems an odd description if you just read the excerpt from the book above; however, this is what happens when you combine rough and tumble children with the yearly Christmas pageant. Oh, and there’s a ham.
A Different Point of View
I was sent by my home church (Countryside Bible Church in Meade, KS) to be a part of a church plant in Liberal, KS (Redeemer Bible Church.) In the past two years, I have come into contact with several adults who are brand-new converts or very young Christians. Most of them did not grow up in church and are therefore completely unfamiliar with the Bible. This prompts an incredible number of questions and comments from this population every time we have a Bible study or a church service. Questions such as “Who is the ‘we’ in Colossians 1?”, or comments like, “I didn’t realize God was in control of absolutely everything.”
As someone who has never not been a church-goer, I have succumbed to the myth of overexposure to the Word of God. I say “myth” because there is no true overexposure, only laziness, pride, and apathy in our reading or study. I have often been guilty of reading without asking questions. When in the company of new and excited Believers who are anxious to know and understand the word of God, it is a consistent reminder that we must ask questions of the Word of God before we can understand it better. Ask the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions!
Consider the book of Jonah. This biography of a portion of the prophet Jonah’s life has become legend as opposed to solid truth. Why? Perhaps we stopped asking questions. We focus on the fact that Jonah got swallowed by a fish. Here’s the kicker: only two verses in the entire book actually mention the fish. There is sooo much more that happens, but we won’t think about it unless we ask questions! Why was Jonah swallowed by the fish? Read Jonah 1, it explains everything that leads up to it. What about Jonah 2, why does Jonah get spit out by the fish? Now we step back and ask, what is Jonah 1-2 all about? Or rather, who is it about? Is it about Jonah, the fish, the sailors? No, it’s about God!
We can’t draw these conclusions unless and until we ask the questions.
Case in point, when you read about the Herdmans storming the annual church Christmas pageant, we get an entirely different view of the birth of Jesus Christ.
There is a natural skepticism portrayed in every kid, parent, and church leader in this book. Why wouldn’t they be skeptical, we don’t let just any children be in our Christmas programs. And we certainly don’t give them the lead roles if we do let them in! But that’s exactly what happens when the Herdmans march in on the first day of pageant practice. Yet, as we follow the story of these crazy children attending church for the first time, we get a more realistic understanding of what the Christmas story is about: the humility and lowly circumstances of the Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man. Read the following excerpt describing two of the Herdman’s dressed as Mary and Joseph for the pageant:
They looked like the people you see on the six o’clock news—refugees, sent to wait in some strange ugly place, with all their boxes and sacks around them. It suddenly occurred to me that this was just the way it must have been for the real Holy Family, stuck away in a barn by people who didn’t much care what happened to them. They couldn’t have been very neat and tidy either, but more like this Mary and Joseph.
I’m not recommending this children’s book as an example of solid, Biblical doctrine surrounding the birth of Christ. However, this was a hilarious story of how one Christmas pageant almost gets ruined, only to turn around and gently remind us to step back from how we always look at Christmas. How can we foster a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding Christ’s birth? First of all, and most importantly, we can pray for open hearts and minds as we read God’s word and to be able to discern the significance behind every word the Lord inspired to be written about Christ’s advent.
Second, we can allow ourselves to consider what a simple children’s book like The Worst Best Christmas Pageant Ever might remind us about the cultural differences between the present (and our extravagant pageants) and the humble, dirty, and lowly experiences of first century Jews.
To read or not to read . . .
That is always the question! I can say without a doubt that this is a fun read for the holiday season with your children and family. The style and subtle (or not so subtle) sarcasm makes this a fun book to read out loud. It’s short and sweet with only a few not-so-bad words and few content issues. Clean AND enjoyable children’s books are becoming an endangered species, go enjoy this little story!
Until next time, unto you a child is born!
