Finding Baby Jesus

Advent starts tomorrow. We will go to church then meet with friends and family to share a meal, make a wreath and share the lighting of the first candle on the wreath. It's time to slow down and make a real effort to celebrate the season. Slowing down is contrary to what our culture demands. But I have re-found the joy of this amazing holiday and refinding it began a few years back when I lost baby Jesus.

 What follows I have posted before and likely will post again because when Jesus shows you something that changes your life you just have to share it.

 Christmas can be a pretty hard time for me. Not because I don't like it- but because I do. 

Working at the Post Office often 6 or 7 days a weeks does not leave me with time to do the my regular chores much less to have the time to do the fun and relaxing things that come with the season

. So, I make lists. Unlike many other people who make a daily list, my list may continue for days or weeks. I am always adding to it the things that I need or want to get done. I even write down the most obvious things like -cook dinner or do the laundry so I can reward myself with at least crossing off something.

 I even go so far as to break down the laundry into sub-lists: wash, dry, fold and put up are on the list because that way I have four things completed instead of one. It was this list that the Lord used to get my attention this Christmas season.

 One afternoon I was climbing around in the attic pulling out the Christmas decorations. I unearthed the box with the wooden nativity that has been a central part of our Christmas celebrations since my daughter Gretchen was 2 yrs. old in 1977. My mother bought this particular set for us that year because she thought how great it was that the kids could touch it and it wouldn't break.

 Early in the season on the first day of Advent we set up the stable on one side of the room and Mary and Joseph on the other side with the kings even further away. The shepherds were positioned close to the stable where they would keep watch over their sheep. Each night during Advent the characters got closer and closer to Bethlehem until finally on Christmas Eve, Mary and Joseph arrived at the stable. 

On Christmas morning the children took turns putting baby Jesus in the manger. We then would sing Happy Birthday to our Savior and have a time of prayer before any gifts were exchanged. We have continued this tradition now for 28 yrs now with my grandchildren now stepping into the role that their mothers played.

 Needless to say, this little wooden nativity set is a very dear to my heart. Its monetary value is not very much but it is priceless to me. So this year when I set up the stable I was beside myself when I got to the bottom of the box and the one-inch baby Jesus was not there. What could I have done with him?

 Not really having time to look other places, I added this task to my list. Days past and the list grew, Put up the tree, go to Belk, order Micah's gift, laundry –wash, dry, fold, put up. Copy Christmas card photo. Bank, call so and so. Some things got crossed off my list only to make room for other things.

 Then – last week I stood at my kitchen table, exhausted and cranky I scanned the list this time only one thing jumped out at me "FIND BABY JESUS". It hit me like a ton of bricks. All these other things that I had on my list were really of no importance. That was the only thing that mattered. It occurred to me that just as this wooden nativity piece was hidden somewhere in my attic in some box coved by some Christmas stuff -that I was doing the same thing with my Jesus. I was so consumed with all the Christmas stuff that I had lost Jesus!

 As with the wooden nativity piece I guess I just thought that I would find Him on the way. We are surrounded by reminders of Christ at this time of year. If we are not careful it can all become just stuff to hide Jesus under. We and the world can sing Joy to the World or Silent Night and not find Jesus there. We will not necessarily just come upon Him because it is Christmas.

 The Bible tells us that if we search for God we will find Him. This is not a passive search but an active search. When the angel told the shepherds that Jesus was born they did not say "Cool, we will have to see if we run into him the next time we go to town for food." It was not enough for them to just know that he was there somewhere. The shepherds left everything that was important to them and they went "AT ONCE" to Bethlehem to see this thing that the angel had told them. They searched for Jesus until they found Him, they worshipped him and they went out telling others about him. 

Likewise, the wise men knew that it was not enough just to know that Jesus was born – they didn't just hope that someday they would see him. They searched for him for a long time until they found him. They worshipped him and gave to him gifts that they had prepared for Him. There was nothing passive about it. These men deliberately set out to find Christ. 

That is was Jesus is teaching me. I must set my heart on finding him. I cannot let the radio, TV or even my pastor tell me about Him and accept that as Christmas. I must take the time, even if this means cutting down my list and letting some other perhaps very good things go.

 If you set out to find Him, intent on searching until you do- you will. If I had been more careful when I put the nativity away last year I never would have lost baby Jesus. I must be careful not to put myself in the place where I cannot seem to find Jesus.

 I am sorry to say that as of yet I have not found my wooden nativity piece I am so glad to tell you that Jesus is right here with me. 

 Epilogue: In January I was once again packing up all of my Christmas decorations. I picked up the wooden barn of the nativity set and turned it upside down to place it in the box. Now I wish  you could see this barn. It is very plain and there is no place in where anything could get 'stuck'. As I turned it over I heard something drop to the floor. There HE was. I had looked everywhere for Him. I started to cry out loud with heaving sobs as the still small voice said "I have been with you always."