Christmas of 1982 was an especially fun one for our daughter Kelly. She was almost three and she gladly assumed the responsibility of teaching her newborn brother, Paul, all about Christmas. Now Kelly took on this challenge with joy because, more than anything else, Kelly also loved babies. She also knew that Paul was the best baby brother ever and showed him all of her favorite things, just as if
he were her age!
A friend in our church who owned a ceramic business made our family a beautiful Nativity set and gave it to us early so we could enjoy it for the season of Advent. I displayed it in a bay window in our living room and the windowsill was a perfect height for Kelly to see… and touch the figures. Baby Jesus was a separate piece from the manger and he was tiny – only about an inch long. She was enchanted with all that was right before her eyes and I often found her standing in front of our Nativity set, staring at the figures.
One day I realized that Jesus was missing from the manger! Apparently Kelly had discovered that she could take baby Jesus out of “His bed” and she had carried Him off to a new place. He was so small that I was afraid He was lost, or that she had shared Him with Paul.
I asked Kelly if she knew where baby Jesus was and she scurried off to her room. In a few minutes she returned, stretched out her little hands, very gently handed Him to me and said, “Here Mama, here’s baby Jesus.” She said it with such sweet reverence that it touched my heart. We repeated this scenario many times over the next few weeks and I learned to trust that she would return Him when I asked, but He was usually missing from the crèche. It was a sweet dance between the two of us and I loved seeing how special it was for her to have Him with her.
After Christmas, as I reflected over the weeks of Advent, I thought of what a difference it would make in our world if we all carried Christ with us through the day. We don’t need to carry a ceramic figure with us to remember that we are never alone. God has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Even if people turn on us, friends forsake us or circumstances separate us from loved ones, we have the love of Christ to sustain us. I encourage you to accept His gift this Christmas, providing us all with a comforting presence of peace and joy as we walk in His presence. Merry Christmas!
Marsha Long, Director of Hospitality Ministries
