Where is Jesus?

So as my mom is showing me her Christmas decorations, she walks over to a beautiful nativity scene that is laid out on it's own table by the window. But as she looks at it, she looks up at me with a sad face and eyes.. I'm wondering what is wrong? She looks down at the nativity scene and at the manager - and looks up at me and says... "Jesus is missing - he's not in the manger.I can't find baby Jesus!? Baby Jesus is missing!"

My first reaction was to laugh - and i did -mostly at the irony of it all and my mom's face. And mostly because Jesus is the main event - the reason why the nativity scene is even a nativity scene - why the shepherds are there, mary and joseph are looking at an empty manger -it's all about Jesus and He is missing?! It struck me as funny and serious at the same time.

Then I thought... I need to blog about this. Because unfortunately this nativity picture in my parent's living room without Jesus in the manger... is very true of our present reality and our present world. With all of our preparations for Christmas, the hustle and bustle of shopping and other preparations... have we forgotten, misplaced, or simply left Jesus out of the picture.

Today is the first day of Advent and our anticipation of Christ's coming... truly eschateological at the heart of it all. He has come already the first time as a baby who grew up to become our Saviour and who will return as our Victorious King. But if we don't take the time to first behold him in the manger -to see Him as the center of it all - of Christmas - that His first coming was prophesied about hundreds and hundreds of years before - how will we receive Him as Savior and how will we receive Him fully when He comes again?

So let us Behold Him - again - not keeping Him as the baby in the manger but remembering that Advent and Christmas is all about Him and why He came to earth... to take the time to see Him, to find Him, to seek after Him - and remove those things that can so easily distract our eyes and our hearts this time of year...

Mom - i hope you find baby Jesus so that the nativity can be complete!