Musings at the Manger

by Rev. Care Crawford :: I collect nativities. Drawn to the characters and the uniqueness of each set, I love to put them out and look at them, I love to consider each figure and animal’s part at the birth of Jesus. I seek to see my own face at the manger.

In the ‘Advent Adventure’ class I led this advent season, I brought in some nativity sets and invited the class participants to choose one animal or figure in the scene- some have more than just Mary and Joseph , the shepherds and wise guys- some have villagers and others who the artist assumed would make their way to that Bethlehem stall.

I have done this activity before…and this day I picked for myself a little character from an Amish nativity I have. I was drawn to it because the little boy, who was a drummer boy, was barefoot. Now that is something I can relate to! I kick off my shoes the minute I get home or sit at my desk. I would rather go barefoot than wear shoes any day. The drummer boy and I had something in common. But that was all I thought I had in common with this figure at the manger until I thought about the noise of the drum. Like the shepherd in the Christmas program at Bel Air queried- why would someone play a drum for a baby? Isn’t it too loud? Won’t it wake the baby up! Not exactly what a new mother wants for her baby boy!

I tried to think about some connection with this character other than my bare feet. I am not very musically inclined, I can keep a beat- but that is about it. And then it occurred to me. I am very much like that drummer boy. I bring the “noise” of my life to the manger, my offering, myself, my daily beats of work and play and sleep and laughter and all. I bring the noise of my life and from the manger I get an invitation to be still and to embrace a silent night. This is the pattern of my life…the fullness of its busy “stuff”- not all bad, but very “noisy” with the trappings of the day and season. And Jesus, the sweet baby in the manger invites me and gives me an invitation to sit quietly with Him, to “be still, and know that He is God!”

Silent night, Holy night- all is calm and all is bright. In my heart is the brightness of that invitation that Jesus speaks silence into my chatter, that Jesus offers quiet where words are not needed, and that Jesus gives peace into our chaotic world.

Consider the manger scene- maybe a nativity you have in your home. Pick a figure and sit with it…how do you relate, what connections do you make? I hope we all will put our faces at the manger and see new “invitations” Jesus has for us this Christmas time!

GPS for Jesus

By Rev. Kim Dorr :: I was watching the news this morning and they had a story called “GPS for Jesus” so, of course, I pricked up my ears. The news anchor announced that new technology is being used to help people FIND Jesus. (Now I’m really listening…) Turns out that at this time of year, when many crèche scenes are on display publicly, there is a lot of “baby Jesus snatching” – yep, wise guys and pranksters who steal the baby Jesus out of the manger scenes. So, a security company a year or so ago approached a few churches who own such manger scenes to see if they wanted to start utilizing GPS systems to locate the stolen Savior. A couple of churches signed on, attached a GPS locater to the baby, and when the Christ child was stolen, it was recovered almost immediately.

Hmmmm…there’s a sermon illustration in here somewhere…

And perhaps a joke: “What are you in for?” “I stole baby Jesus. You?”.

Illustrations and joking aside, my prayer for us is that our hearts, minds, bodies and souls will so reflect the presence of the Christ child, alive in us, that GPS systems everywhere will go crazy with all the “pings” locating Jesus. May He live and reign in us…

Merry Christmas!

The Four Quarters

by Keenan Barber :: We were driving up to church on Sunday, and my wife leaned over to me and said, “Can you turn off the music after the next song?” I said, “No problem,” and we continued on down the road. We stopped the music and my wife handed both of the kids (Hadley, 6 and KC, 3) four quarters each. Initially, both of them got excited about money, but I knew there was more to the story.

Jen went on to explain that this was their allowance for the week, and they could spend it any way they chose. She gave them three viable options for the cash in hand:

1. They could keep it all for themselves
2. They could keep some of it and give the rest to “kids” who weren’t going to be receiving Christmas gifts this year
3. They could give it all to needy “kids” who weren’t going to be receiving Christmas gifts this year

You could hear the wheels turning almost immediately. KC was the first to speak – “I am keeping all my money!” (Jen and I looked at one another and sort of sighed with a bit of disappointment). Hadley thought for a while and said, “Well I’m pretty sure I’m not going to keep it all, but I can’t decide whether I should give it all to the kids or just some of it.” She thought out loud for a while (Jen and staying quiet to hear her work out a viable solution).

Finally, Hadley thought it was fair that she got to keep two of the quarters for herself, and gave two away to the “kids.” KC listened carefully to her musings, and finally he decided to give two of his “monies” to the kids and keep two “monies” for himself.

Two quick reflections – what are we doing with the limited amount of money we have this Christmas season? Our family got so fed up with so much “stuff” last year, that we have cut down the number of gifts we are giving and receiving this year, and instead doing some alternative gift giving (link to Outreach Dept online Catalog)

Second, much the same way KC was intently watching Hadley decide what to do with her money, the world is watching us as Christians and evaluating how we are doling out our hard earned cash. What messages are we sending to “the world?” Are we really operating out of a completely different view of the world?

Musings on “Boxes”

by Rev. Care Crawford :: This morning early I sat reading several devotionals I use during the advent season. I read the Scripture in Luke describing the birth of Jesus. And then I “sat” with it awhile, again, to let it steep like a good strong cup of tea. As I looked around the room, I saw several nativity sets we had placed out for decoration and was thinking about the different crèches- the mangers where the baby Jesus laid. Small and box like, these trough like mangers depicting the one where Jesus was born, struck me. A “little box” with straw and hay, this is where life began for the One who grew up to be our Risen Savior!

Later as I drove to work I came up behind a semi truck which was carrying quite a load. As I passed the truck I could now clearly see what was piled on its flat bed. It was a “box” of another kind- this truck had stacked high what looked like fiberglass coffins. As I drove past I wondered who would have their earthly remains put into these rectangular boxes. And I prayed, for whoever that might be and their families and loved ones who would grieve their loss.

It then struck me that earlier that morning I was thinking about the “box” that held life and now I was seeing the “box” that holds death.

One of our creeds says, “In life and death I belong to God!” That truth and that promise linked my thoughts on boxes today.

In a season when we wrap gifts in boxes and tie them oith ribbons, I was given an image of a box of a different nature…one filled with straw and cradling a Baby, another not yet filled, but prepared for one whose body will be held after they breathe their last.

In life and death we belong to the One who is Immanuel, God with us. And as He is with us by His Spirit on earth, so we will be with Him when our spirit is welcomed in heaven’s embrace.

The gift held in the box we call the manger, makes this promise possible. His presence is provision!