Stealing Christmas

Last year, I remember reading an account of a church that was taking steps to keep their outdoor nativity set in tact. Tired of having to replace their baby Jesus because of theft (pranks or otherwise), this church had put a GPS- global positioning system- in their baby Jesus, so that they could track the statue if it was stolen. Their story is not unique. All across the nation, churches are resorting to hi-tech tactics to keep people from stealing their Christmas scenery.

I wonder if we couldn't all learn something from an old Christmas episode of the TV show "Dragnet". I watched it over Thanksgiving break with my family. In that episode, the two cops were called to a Catholic Church by priests who noticed that the infant Jesus was missing from their creche. Worried that the worshippers who arrived for midnight mass on Christmas Eve would not be able to celebrate the Christ's Child's birth if the piece was not recovered, they called the police.

Suspects were interviewed. Pawn shops were visited. Hands were wrung in despair. Just when all seemed "lost" (including the baby Jesus), a small Hispanic boy entered the church, pulling a red wagon behind him. In the wagon was the missing baby. "I prayed for a red wagon," the boy explained. "I prayed very hard to baby Jesus. I promised him that, if I got one, that he would get the first ride."

A young boy's faith... A young boy's faithfulness. A young boy who understood the part of Christmas that no one can steal. Not the ACLU... Not a group of frat boys pulling a prank... It's when we celebrate Christmas in daily acts of faith, so sure of our relationship with the One whose birthday it is all about that we will keep our promises to God, and recognize God's faithfulness to us; when we are willing to give Christ the first and the best of the blessings we have... That's when we are living Christmas every day.

And we won't need a GPS to find the Christ Child in our hearts.