By Tim Richards
Each year thousands of people who are not typical ballet fans watch the Nutcracker, the most popular ballet in the US. It was first performed in 1892. Maria Tallchief’s performance in the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in 1954 helped turn the Nutcracker into the annual Christmas blockbuster it is today. According to Wikipedia, major ballet companies in the US generate about 40% of their annual ticket revenue from performances of this famous ballet alone.
I suspect most of my readers are not ballet fans, so in this column instead of writing about a ballet, I want to write about the “Clark’s Nutcracker” which is not a performance, but an extraordinary bird. James Banks wrote about it in his December 21, 2022, Our Daily Bread Devotional. He described how year this remarkable bird prepares for the upcoming winter months by hiding many tiny reserves of three to five pine seeds. Sometimes this remarkable bird may stash as many as 500 seeds in a single hour. During the winter months the bird will return to the seeds and find them even if covered with snow.
An individual Clark’s Nutcracker may store and remember as many as 98,000 seeds in 10,000 hiding places. When we consider how forgetful humans often are this is especially amazing since these birds remember where their seeds are hidden.
Before Jesus’ birth, Jewish people had been anticipating the arrival of the Messiah for centuries. Generation after generation looked for his coming and died without witnessing it. But God had not forgotten about the Messiah.
In the Christmas story we read, “And while they were there the time came for her baby to be born.” (Luke 2:6, NLT, my emphasis) It sounds like it was merely Mary’s time to have the baby, but the Apostle Paul’s description of the event makes it clear it was not just Mary’s time, it was when God wanted Jesus to arrive. “But when the right time came God sent his Son, born to a woman.” (Galatians 4:4, NLT, my emphasis)
Many people have moments when they feel God had forgotten them, but despite what you and I may think, God never forgets. His memory is infinitely better than yours or mine or even the Clark’s Nutcracker. During the busy rush of Christmas, we may forget the one this season is all about, but thankfully he neither forgets us, nor his plans for us. In the hustle and bustle of this holiday season, take a moment to reflect on the one who came at just the right time. Let us thank him since while we may sometimes feel he has forgotten us the reality is he never forgets anyone.
During four decades as a pastor, Tim Richards has served five churches, three in rural Missouri and two in St. Louis. He may be reached by email at iamtimrichards@yahoo.com.
