Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose and if…” Almost all of us can probably finish that line from one of the most famous Christmas carols of all time. And of course the song comes from a story written by Robert May, who wrote it as a story for his 4 year old daughter in 1939. It was first published that year 1939, but then wasn’t republished until 1946 because of World War 2. The song became popular in 1949 when Gene Autry sang it, but the popular Rudolph TV special didn’t air until 1964.
Through all those adaptions, the poem, song, and TV special the story stayed the same. If you haven’t seen Rudolph in a while it’s worth checking out, but here’s a brief summary. Rudolph is born with a red and shiny nose that Santa says will prevent Rudolph from ever being allowed to pull Santa’s sleigh. This nose leads Rudolph on many adventures and eventually to the island of misfit toys. There he meets a bunch of toys who have been rejected because they are unwanted or unloved. Eventually he winds up back at the north pole after saving his parents and friends from the abominable snowman. Soon it’s Christmas Eve and Santa fears that he will have to cancel Christmas because the snowstorm is so bad, but then he realizes that perhaps Rudolph’s glowing red nose could light the way so he asks Rudolph to lead his sleigh and soon Rudolph has not only saved Christmas but also helped Santa find homes for the misfit toys.
Just like last week, there are many lessons that we can learn from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The lesson that we shouldn’t discount or exclude anyone because their different from us, that we should always try and help those in need, but I think the most important lesson is learned by Santa. When the storm is so bad that he almost cancels Christmas he finds the solution by looking at someone who had been dismissed by everyone else, but Rudolph was exactly who Santa needed.
Just like that, the Birth of Jesus was not a huge splendid affair. Jesus is the Son of God, the savior of the world and yet he was born in a stable with animals all around him and his bed was simply a feeding trough.
Today we often do a similar thing we lift up and look up to people who have lots of money or seem to have it all figured out. We look at the cool kids at school or the kid who has his own Youtube channel and say I want to be like that. I wonder where Jesus would be born if he was born today? This Christmas, remember that Jesus came to teach us to be humble and to serve others, he was different from other rulers and leaders and he wants us to follow his example.
Activity: Watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and then discuss a few of the questions below
· What would you do if you were Rudolph when all the reindeer tease him?
· Why does Santa ask Rudolph to lead his sleigh?
· Where do you thinks Jesus would be born if he was born today?
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