Where did Baby Jesus go?

I went to grad school for a divinity degree for various reasons I graduated with a theology one instead, but every now and again I have a mini-sermon stirring around in my head, and this is one is the most recent.

A couple of years ago for Lydia’s first Christmas we bought the ever so popular Little People Nativity set.  Each year Lydia, of course, has played with it more. It is safe to say that this year it has been a hit. My first few days back at work, Lydia would go to the door with my mom to wave goodbye and she would insist that I take Baby Jesus with me. Who am I to argue with a 2 year old saying goodbye to her mom who has been home for 6 months? So I would thank her for Baby Jesus and he would ride with me tucked safely in the space on my car door. Every day I would come home and put Jesus back on the shelf.

About a week ago, I notice that the whole holy family was missing from the plastic fisher price manager and I started to look for them and I found them in her backpack that we took over to Gram’s and Grandpa’s last week. So I pulled them out and once again placed them back on the shelf.

This past Sunday we were getting ready for church and I notice that Lydia was gathering the holy family, Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus, can't leave him behind. I grabbed one of her little purses so she could store her little people and off to church are our little family went. Later we got home, I placed them back on the shelf. This morning Mary and Baby Jesus are missing, again.

All of this, putting Baby Jesus back on the shelf stuff has been bouncing around in my little theological brain. Doesn’t Lydia have a better grasp of this whole thing than I do? Likely. Aren’t we supposed to be taking Baby Jesus with us everywhere we go?  

The concept of faith like a child rings loudly to me but more so the concept of the greater story. The story that starts at the manager (even though so many nativity scenes are biblically inaccurate containing both a shepherd with animals {Luke} and wisemen with gifts {Matthew} ; this is a whole other issue.) There is a reason that there are no more stories about Jesus’ childhood in the Bible (except that one when he is 12) likely because his real mark society (the world) was hitting the streets and caring for the sick, the old, and the disenfranchised. That’s the good part. The part with Jesus giving to the least, and reminding those of us that have plenty to do so as well. It’s a good thing to have a little Baby Jesus with you on the go all the time, just for that reminder.

As I mentioned before, Mary and Baby Jesus are missing at the moment from our manager, surely they are helping out a Catholic brother somewhere, reminding them of the spirit of the season as well.