I have been thinking about what I wanted to write about Christmas and couldn't quite get my thoughts to form into sentences.
This morning in the Indianapolis Star I read Lori Borgman's column. She is a local writer dealing with "family humor" that I really enjoy reading. (I think her column is picked up in other newspapers also.) Today's column was cut out and will be added to the others that I have kept.
Here's the column .....
Where’s Jesus? Seek and you shall find
Lori Borgman Monday, December 22, 2008
During Advent, a certain toddler made a habit of lifting the plastic Jesus from the nativity set in the family home and toting it around with her. Apparently the child forgot where she put the baby Jesus one day. The next morning, and each morning after, the toddler came down the stairs calling “W’are you, Jesus?”
What a great question. Each passing Christmas, He seems more difficult to find.
There is that regal velvet throne in the center of the mall that looks fit for a king, but it’s Santa who beckons the children come, not Jesus.
You’d think a Christmas tree might have something to do with Christ, but a lot of them are sporting dried fruit this year. Glazed plums, frosted pears, sparkling apples and pomegranates with a patina.
But then, according to the decorating experts, the season is not so much about a savior as much as it is shimmer. Mirrored garland and clear glass balls will light up your holidays. Not exactly light of the world, but the pages of Better Homes and Garden can’t do everything. If that’s not enough shimmer, you can purchase a disco ball to hang from a chandelier. Nothing says holy day like disco.
You won’t find Jesus on the sides of buses in Washington, D.C. Those are occupied by a skinny Santa in dreadlocks and the words, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake.” The placards are sponsored by The Humanist Association; they don’t know where Jesus is either.
You won’t find Him in the public square. Not in the court house or on the statehouse lawn. One might slip in here and there, but He’s ringed with candy canes and toy soldiers to protect the public. You wouldn’t want something like religion spoiling Christmas.
It is unlikely to find Jesus on school stages or in the classroom. Those are for holiday parties and winter festivals.
He is, however, popping up (quite literally) in a few front yards. Along with the inflatables of the Grinch and Homer and Mickey and Minnie decked out in holiday fare, there are also inflatables of Mary, Joseph and the baby in the manger. Yes, you can purchase the holy family, tether them to your front yard, inflate them with a fan and illuminate them with a flood. The yard ornaments aren’t terribly dignified, but at least homeowners can point to where Jesus is.
Where is He? With the broken and the downtrodden. He is at the city missions, in rehab centers and in the prisons where people who have everything stripped away suddenly see clearly. He’s in hospitals, surgery waiting rooms and the ER.
He’s with our troops and their families.
He’s with the persecuted and the political prisoners. He’s with the church in Third World countries where they greet Him warmly, enthusiastically, with obedience and without compromise.
He’s with the joyful and the reflective. He’s with every man, woman and child who has room at the inn.
In the Old Testament, Jeremiah 23:24 says, “Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?" declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?"
Where is He? There’s nowhere He isn’t.
If you’ve lost Him, Christmas is a good time to start looking.
