Last December, I shared with you about Liam’s rearranging of our family’s nativity scenes, moving the animals to a front row manger seat because to him, they wanted “to smell the baby.” Just a few days ago, I was cleaning up around our house when I noticed two of our nativities — the delicate porcelain hand-me-downs from my grandparents — were missing its main character. For there was no baby Jesus to be found anywhere!
I glanced around to no avail to see if I could find the missing pieces. Remembering last year’s nativity action, I started first with Liam — no luck. Then to Silas, the feistiest child in the family (who recently tucked my glasses away for safekeeping for days on end, but I digress) — again, I came up short.
“Annabelle,” I called out, “do you have Baby Jesus?”
“Yes!,” she exclaimed, her face sparkling with delight.
“Well, where is he?”
“In my stocking!”
“Your stocking?!”
“Yes!,” she laughed, retrieving a handful of baby Jesuses from the mantle and hearth.
“Well why did you take the baby Jesus?”
“Because I love him! He’s a baby!”
When the people expected a strong and mighty king, God came near through a faithful mother who grew and nurtured Love-made-flesh inside of her. When nations raged, when creation groaned, when plowshares and pruning hooks seemed laughable given the state of things, God came near in a bundle of softness, crying and cooing his Word into the world. Disarmed and disarming, God came near in a baby.
Poet Jack Brown in his poem “Born to Give Us Second Birth” said this:
In our poverty of spirit
Christ arrived as God’s good Word;
(Grant us, God, good grace to hear it.)
Christ was born to be our Lord.
In the gloom of deep, dull darkness,
In the shade of endless night,
Jesus came a child, a baby,
Born to give us hope and light.
In the gloom of deep, dull darkness,
In the shade of endless night,
Jesus came a child, a baby,
Born to give us hope and light.
When we felt our hearts were broken,
Jesus met us face to face,
Loving us in word and token –
Born to give us peace and grace.
Wisest one of all the ages
Christ came here, a babe so small,
Early blessed by wizened sages,
Born to lead and bless us all.
Good news of a baby, good news for the world, good news that changes everything!
For unto us a child is born!
Together in God’s work of Love,
Pastor Emily