Where's the Baby Jesus?

One year after Thanksgiving, I bought a little Fisher Price Nativity Set for the grandkids to play with. Peyton was four and the girls were two. Charlotte, who lived about five minutes from us at the time and was at our house a lot, was so excited. She was immediately taken with the Baby Jesus. She carried Him around with her all through the house. I knew right away it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship between the two of them.

The next year, while I was decorating for Christmas, I came across the set and put it out on the table. The next time Charlotte came over, she played and played with the set. When it was time to pick up toys, I noticed that the Baby Jesus wasn’t with the rest of the pieces.

So, I asked Charlotte, “Where is Baby Jesus?” She looked at me, then at the nativity set, then back at me and said, “He’s gone.” I said, “What do you mean He’s ‘gone?’ “He’s just gone,” she said. “Well, we need to find Him!" I said, "You can’t have a nativity set without the Baby Jesus. He’s the most important part!”

We looked for a while. No Baby Jesus. I kept looking over the next few days: under the couch, in the toy closet, in the dryer, (yes, I’ve found toys in the dryer following visits from the grandkids.) Still, no Baby Jesus. So, our Fisher Price nativity set was missing its main character that entire Christmas season.

When I look around me, I realize that my grandkids’ toy nativity set is not the only place where Jesus seems to be missing. Many of our nation’s leaders don’t seem to have a place for him, while they strive to guide us. Jesus is clearly missing from our country’s schools and the effects of his absence are painfully obvious.

Jesus appears to be missing from many of our homes today as well. More and more families don’t seem to look for him in their everyday lives or even in times of trouble.

Sadly, Jesus is even missing in some of our churches today. We’ve become more interested in finding the right program, putting on the perfect performance, or some magic formula to attract more people than we are about celebrating our Savior’s birth. Even at Christmas, Jesus seems to be gone. Just gone.

The thing is, just like our nativity set, Christmas without Jesus just isn’t right. It has no purpose, no real meaning. It’s like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the peanut butter. Or a cheeseburger without the cheese. Something’s just wrong without Him.

See, Jesus should be the main attraction, not only at Christmas, but every day of your life. He's the protagonist, the headliner, the hero. What I’m trying to say is, without Jesus Christ in the great, big middle of your life, what’s the point?

Just so you know, we did finally find the baby Jesus, all wrapped up in tissue, hanging out in one of Charlotte’s favorite hiding places: in the basket with all the throw blankets. Today, these same grandkids are sixteen and fourteen. I don’t know how they’ve grown up so fast, but sometimes when I look at them, I find it hard to breathe. They have turned out to be wonderful human beings and I love being with them, every chance I get.

In just a few days, we’ll gather with friends and loved ones to celebrate another Christmas. We’ll open beautifully wrapped packages of the most wished for surprises, and eat way more than we probably should. But this year, let’s remember that Christmas is about celebrating the birth of the Savior of the World. More than anything, I hope that if you don’t know where Jesus is in your life, you’ll look for Him. He’s so close, waiting for you to discover Him. If you’ve already found Him, just like Charlotte, take Him with you wherever you go and hold Him close. Because just like the nativity set, your life will just not be right without Him.

O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!

O come ye, o come ye, to Bethlehem!

Come and behold Him, born the King of angels

O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!