A Children's Christmas Story

It wasn't that Zacchary was a bad boy. No - not at all! In fact, he was a very nice boy, and very pleasant, and nice to be around. He was just - well, overly-eager might be one way to put it. And overly curious. And overly loud at the wrong times. And overly - well, he tended to be a bit overly everything at one time or another. So it should come as no surprise to you that he was almost always in trouble.

Not that he liked being in trouble either, mind you. He didn't want to be overly-all-these-things. He just was. That was Zacchary. When he was good, he was "Zach." But most of the time, he was "Z A C C H A R Y!" That is what he was in school when he, quite by accident mind you, hit the end of his pencil that happened to be sticking out over the end of the desk, and it spun through the air and hit Amy Lindman in the arm, which made her drop the bottle of red paint that she was using to paint some flowers on a picture for her mother. "CRASH!" it went. And Mrs. Robinson, without even turning around, said it: "Z A C C H A R Y!" Or last night at dinner, when he just couldn't sit still any longer, and decided that it looked like perhaps something interesting just might be outside the window, just waiting to be looked at. And the longer he looked at the window, the more sure he was that it was so, until he just had to get up to see, and put his hand in the mashed potatoes and gravy, and spilled his milk getting his hand out of the mashed potatoes and gravy. "Z A C C H A R Y!" his mother said.

But despite all this, Mrs. Wilson, his Sunday School teacher, picked him for an important part in the Sunday School Christmas Pageant. "Oh, NO!" said Mrs. Teetlebaum, the Sunday School Superintendent, "not Z A C C H A R Y! It will be a disaster!" "Are you SURE you want Sacchary in the play? " asked Zacchary,'s father. But Mrs. Wilson was quite definite. And that was that. Zacchary was to be in the play. And he was very happy. He ws to be the third innkeeper, and say, "No, there is no room for you in my inn!" It was a very important part. And Zacchary was determined to do it just right.

He practiced his part. He practiced it at home, in the middle of dinner, with a mouthful of food, "Mo, pherre iph no room phor we in may inn," he said. And his mother said, "Z A C C H A R Y!" And in school, when everyone was doing an arithmetic problem quietly, Zacchary said over and over to himself, and finally out loud, "No, there is no room for you in my inn!" Amy giggled. So did Tommy McPhearson. And then the rest of the class. Except for Mrs. Robinson. "Z A C C H A R Y!" she said, without even looking up. Zacchary practiced and practiced his part.

Then something terrible happened. Two weeks before the play, Zacchary got sick. It happened on Saturday night, the day before the first rehearsal. "Well," said Mrs. Teetlebaum, "maybe it's just as well. We can still get someone else to play the part." And everyone agreed. Except for Mrs. Wilson. "No," she said, "It's Zacchary's part. He should be well in time for the play." The next Sunday he was still sick. Mrs. Teetlebaum was upset. "That's Z A C C H A R Y!" she said. "He's ruined it again! There's not enough time for someone else to learn his part!" Even Mrs. Wilson was a bit nervous, but she said, "It's not Zacchary's fault that he got sick. Perhaps he can make it yet."

It was Christmas Eve. The play was to be at seven o'clock. The children were there to be there at six-thirty, "SHARP!" as Mrs. Teedlebaum said. And at six-thirty, "SHARP!" in through the door walked Zacchary! "Z A C C H A R Y!" Mrs. Teedlebaum said, surprised. "Z acchary!" said Mrs. Wilson, happily. "Ah, ah - CHOO!" said Zacchary, and he wiped his nose. "I know my part!" And he cleared his throat: "No, there is no room for you at my inn!" And then he added, "Ah - CHOO!" "Well, sighed Mrs. Teedlebaum, I guess we could let him try." "Of course!" said Mrs. Wilson, beaming. "After all, Zacchary IS the third innkeeper! The play wouldn't be complete without him!"

And so, without rehearsing, without knowing any other part but his own, Zacchary took his place on the stage. The congregation sang, "O Come All Ye Faithful," and "Away in the Manger;" the pastor said a prayer, and the Christmas story was read from the Bible. Zacchary smiled. He knew his part. He would do it exactly right! "No room! he said to himself. And he quietly added, "ah- choo!" The play began. Mary and Joseph came up the isle, while Mrs. Teedlebaum told the Christmas story, about how Mary and Joseph came to Bethlehem that night two thousand years ago, and could not find a room.

They stopped in front of Tommy Tyler, the first innkeeper. "Please, sir," Joseph said, "we have come a long way. My wife is tired and she is going to have a baby. Can you make room for us and our child?" "No room," thought Zacchary, and he smiled. "No!" said Tommy. "There is no room for you in my inn!" And suddenly Zacchary stopped smiling.

Joseph and Mary moved on to the second innkeeper, who was Billy Wierman. "Please - I beg you," Joseph said. "We have come a long way. My wife is tired and she is going to have a baby. Can you make room for us and our child?" "No," thought Zacchary, "There is no room. Ah - choo!" And Billy said, "No, there is no room for you in my inn!"

There were tears in Zacchary's eyes. Mary and Joseph moved on, and now stood right in front of Zacchary! "Please, I beg you," Joseph said. "We have come such a long way. My wife is tired and she is going to have a baby. Can you make room for us and our child?" "No! No room!" thought Zacchary. Then he opened his mouth, but what came out was, "Sure! Come on in!"

There was silence in the church for what seemed to Zacchary like an hour. Then Mrs. Wilson stepped to the microphone where Mrs. Teedlebaum was still staring at Zacchary. He was sure at least someone would say, "Z A C C H A R Y!" But Mrs. Wilson cleared her throat, then said, "Well - I guess that's not quite the way it happened on the first Christmas. But then, again, the message that Jesus told us was that we didn't HAVE to do things the same way that the people in Bethlehem did them two thousand years ago. The Christmas story is a story for each of us today. And God is still knocking at the door of our hearts. Jesus said, 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and answers, I will come in and dwell with them.' Zacchary has taught us all a valuable lesson tonight. How will you answer Jesus? That is the meaning of Christmas. Will you let him into your heart tonight?"