Our Daily Bread Christmas Edition: For God So LovedSample

Where's the Baby Jesus?

It seems to happen earlier each year. Stores put up Christmas decorations. Newspaper ads announce "the perfect Christmas gift." Toy commercials punctuate television shows. Christmas music fills the air. Before you know it, there are banquets to attend, parties you can’t miss, gifts to wrap, family gatherings to plan, baking to be done, and a host of other activities that manage to crowd out the real meaning of Christmas.

My friend Delores told me a story about her young grandson that drives home the point. His mother and father had used a simple manger scene to tell Justin about Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. They wanted him to know that the Child born in Bethlehem was someone very special. As the holiday approached, Justin went on a shopping trip with his mother and grandmother. One salesperson showed him a sparkling display of Santas, toys, and decorations. He was fascinated. But he spoke words that far surpassed his years when he looked up and said, "But where’s the baby Jesus?"

This Christmas, let’s keep foremost in our minds the reason for the celebration—the birth of God’s Son. Then, as people listen to our words and observe our activities, they won’t ask, "Where’s the baby Jesus?" —Dave Egner

Beware of keeping Christmas but losing Christ.