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,
rum pum pum pum, 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,
rum pum pum pum, 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 Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.
Though it is a fictional account of what took place on that sacred, Christmas night, it is quite a powerful message that the song brings. We truly come to the Lord poor and with nothing, as our sin allows us to see how desperate and in need of a savior we truly are. The Bible tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. For this reason, we were hopeless without God stepping in and providing Jesus, who is the only perfect sacrifice for the sins of the entire world! Paul tells us in Romans 7:24-25
"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"Paul understood the weight of his sin and that the consequences were deadly, but he rejoiced greatly because he knew that Jesus deliverance meant life! Such truth merits a response whether acceptance or rejection, there is inevitably going to be one or the other.
Going back to the song, we come to the Lord, with nothing to give. Yet there is a "little drummer boy" in all of us as a realization takes place and we see that the Lord has provided us with gifts and talents that can be used to worship the new born King. We may not bring treasured gifts like the wiseman, but we offer what we have which is really all He requires. Wherever this response hits you, I hope you're able to see that the small echo of truth that this song brings is one that goes beyond the little drummer boy. This echo of truth is one that is a reality for all of humanity and leads us to a place of humility. Though we are all sinful and wretched, a King has been born to save us from our sinfulness and in that depraved nature, we discover the only appropriate response is to do exactly what he created us to do. As the Bible also tells us that,
"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)
So, this Christmas, wherever this response hits you, I pray that you'll be encouraged to remember that the Lord is pleased when you are doing what He created you to do. And in case this response hit you in a different way, I pray you'll have the boldness to explore the truths that have been revealed and the confidence to carry out such acceptance. Trust me when I type, that the consequences are deadly, but that little baby Jesus is pleased to accept what you have to give. What a blessed truth!
Lyrics taken from https://www.carols.org.uk/little_drummer_boy.htm
