“Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ." ~ I Thessalonians 5:18
Jenna woke early – not from the
whine of her squeaky cot, or the stifling humidity, or the fear of pigeon-sized
mosquitoes circling her protective netting.
Anticipation coursed her veins this morning like molten magma. Today was the Vacation Bible School her
mission team had planned for months.
Christmas would arrive 8 days from now in this small
Honduran village. Accordingly, Jenna’s
team would tell the story of Jesus’ birth to the children at Sister Rosa’s
orphanage.
They were greeted like rock stars by children eager for the
attention of American missionaries with a lesson to teach. But their eyes told a story too – one of
hardship, and loneliness . . . yet thankful for life’s meager blessings.
Jenna told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem.
Finding no room at the inn, the couple
went to a stable, where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger. The orphans sat on the edges of their stools,
trying to grasp every word.
When the story ended, the children were tasked to recreate
the manger scene from brightly colored paper, Popsicle sticks, small figurines
and a host of other craft items.
Jenna helped a shy, 6 year old boy named Eduardo. Coming from a non-Christian background, the youngster
hadn’t heard many Bible stories or built much of anything with his own hands.
When she looked at the little boy’s work, she was startled
to see not one, but two babies in his manger. How creative, she thought and asked Eduardo why
he’d chosen two babies instead of one baby Jesus.
Choosing his words carefully, Eduardo repeated the story
perfectly . . . until the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the feeding-box.
That’s where he ad-libbed his own
ending.
“When Mary laid the baby in the manger,” Eduardo began, “Jesus
looked up and asked me if I had a place to stay. When I told Him I really had no place to call
home, Jesus told me I could stay with him.”
“I was thrilled, but I didn’t have any gift to offer him. So I asked, if I keep You warm, will that be
enough?” Jesus replied, “That would be
the best gift ever!”
"So I crawled into the manger and Jesus told me I could
stay with him - forever."
As Eduardo finished his story, tears splashed off his little
cheeks. The orphan child had found
someone who would never abandon nor abuse him, someone who would stay with him
– forever! That's the promise of
Christmas past, present and future.
And Jenna? She’d learned
the lesson she’d come there to teach - that it’s not what you have in your
life, but WHO you have in your life that really counts.
Jesus, thank You for the people in our lives that ‘keep us warm’ - not
the least of which is the enduring love of Jesus Christ, the one person who
keeps us warm and safe, forever. Amen
