NO BOX FOR JESUS
By CHERYL CRUCE
Christmas is over, the New Year approaches, and candy hearts already line the store shelves, ready for the next holiday of love. Christmas pageants have run the breadth of Church services, each unique in its own way. The yard ornaments and brightly colored lights displaying “season’s greetings” have dimmed throughout the neighborhoods. Moms and Dads take down Christmas trees and sort through the array of vibrant paper, torn and scattered on the floor. Inadvertently, one item is always lost in the excitement of Christmas morning.
As ornaments and wintery villages are carefully wrapped and placed in the appropriate boxes, extra room is made on the closet shelf for storage. Eventually, the door will close until the next season of holiday gift-giving and love. It is a never-ending cycle of life, for in 365 days (minus a few for preparation), it all begins again.
The “begins again” has me contemplating the final box ready for packaging.
The words “Manger scene” mark the box stirring my spirit as I sip my morning cup of coffee. Each character is carefully wrapped and ready to be packaged. Even Baby Jesus carries a healthy covering of swaddling tissue to protect Him from the cold darkness of the closet. Oh, the ponderings of my mind and the questions I ask myself.
It all comes down to this, why do we put Jesus in the box? Why do we celebrate the hope, peace, love, and joy of advent for a short season? Why do we light the Christ candle just one day of the year? The truth is, we shouldn’t. “Joy to the World” and “Go Tell it on the Mountain” are anthems that celebrate the intention of the Christian life. That intent is a year-round responsibility that cannot be met when we put Jesus in a box. The closer we draw to the truth of the season, the more life it breathes within us.
We do not need a store shelf to tell us when to love or when to be joyous. We only need to draw close to the source. C.S. Lewis said, “If you want to get warm, you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet, you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, and eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them.”
All of these elements were brought to us through the life of Jesus. We could put Jesus in the box until the next holiday season, along with the power to overcome life’s obstacles. However, that choice may cause us to lose the joy and love we have just experienced.
It is encouraging to know that Mary cradled her baby close to her heart, treasuring the words of the shepherds. We should treasure their words as well, keeping Jesus within our hearts. Christmas does not have to cease because the store shelf presumes it so. We do not have to box up baby Jesus because another day has dawned on our calendar. The message of His kingdom lives on within each of us. The gift of peace and goodwill given by God is for all humanity. It cannot be packaged in a box. Isn’t it time we draw near the source of the proclamation of His birth?
Luke 2:13-14,16 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
Cheryl Mixon-Cruce is Pastor of Ochlockonee Bay United Methodist Church and Sopchoppy United Methodist Church.