The Empty Manger & The Empty Tomb

“You’ll need to take that down.”  My husband responded when I shared a minor Christmas disaster.  I had unpacked the Nativity set his mother had built for us over several years.  Each year at Christmas she gave us another set of characters from Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus to the three camels.  We loved it.  It was displayed in a place of honor every year.  This year, however, its appearance was doomed.  All the characters were in the box except one—Baby Jesus.  The manger was there but it was empty.

I searched the box and packing material.  I went back to the shelf where it had been stored for the past ten months.  No Baby Jesus.  Dread loomed.  Three dogs may have been guilty.  It would have been an inviting theft and destruction mission for Mickey, Molly or Makena.  My first inclination would be Molly, she gets what she wants, always!  Yet I don’t recall any evidence of bits of Baby Jesus and the manger escaped intact.  Perhaps some visiting child needed the assurance of Baby Jesus in their pocket. 

Regardless, Baby Jesus was missing.  We can’t display a Nativity without Baby Jesus at Christmas.

Quickly I went to Amazon to rescue our Christmas tradition.  I found a replacement Baby Jesus.                 I would have it in a few days, free shipping, in time for the first party of our season.  Dutifully I checked the reviews.  I was stunned by the comments:

·         Several were appalled that Baby Jesus was plastic.  The whole Nativity set is a plastic resin material.  So what did they expect? 

·         Others felt the Baby Jesus was too small.  As the original set was made, Baby Jesus was about the size of a 25 pound newborn and Mary looked to be 100 pounds soaking wet.  So what did they expect?

I was reminded that when the real Baby Jesus appeared on Earth, most people were appalled by His mission and ministry.  Too many expected a victorious conqueror, an authoritative judge or a powerful king.  Instead, He came as a vulnerable baby human. 

The “Amazon delivered” Baby Jesus is perfect.  It is the same material and size of the rest of the set.  It completed the set and saved our Christmas tradition.

I’m keeping that old empty manger (because Amazon delivered a new Baby Jesus and a new manger)  as a reminder that regardless of my expectation of Jesus, God sent the Jesus I need.  Jesus completes my life and saves me.

And now the rest of the story:

We were preparing for a group of guests.  Dick looked on the couch and there was the original Baby Jesus.  It had blended into the design on the fabric.

Baby Jesus was there all the time I thought He was missing.

How often in life do we forget that Jesus is with us all the time?  We may not pay close enough attention.  Yet Jesus is always there!

Let our story of the lost and found Baby Jesus remind you to pay attention, He’s there all the time!

And now my confession.  

This story is actually our Christmas letter I never got around to sending.  I thought I should post it today, on Easter.

The empty manger sits in my kitchen window next to the seeds I hope will germinate into tomato plants.  The empty manger and the empty tomb mean Jesus is with me, all the time.

HE IS RISEN!  CELEBRATE!