Is Anyone Missing Baby Jesus? (6 views)
From:  David (DavidABrown)    Dec-7 11:33 am  
To:  ALL    
 
  756.1  
 
 
 Is Anyone Missing Baby Jesus?

 About a week before Christmas the family bought a new nativity scene.

When they unpacked it they found 2 figures of the Baby Jesus.

"Someone must have packed this wrong," the mother said, counting
out the figures.  "We have one Joseph, one Mary, three wise men,
three shepherds, two lambs, a donkey, a  cow, an angel and two babies.

Oh, dear!  I suppose some set down at the store is missing a Baby
Jesus because we Have  2."

"You two run back down to the store and tell the manager that we
have an extra Jesus. Tell him to put a sign on the remaining boxes saying
that if a set is  missing a Baby Jesus, call 7126.

"Put on your warm coats, it's freezing cold out there."

The manager of the store copied down mother's message and the next
time they were in the store they saw the cardboard sign that read,
"If you're missing Baby Jesus, call 7126."

All week long they waited for someone to call.  Surely, they
thought, someone was missing that important figurine.  Each time the phone
rang mother would say, "I'll bet that's about Jesus," but it never was.

Father tried to explain there were thousands of these scattered
over the country and the figurine could  be missing from a set in
Florida orTexas or California. Those packing  mistakes happen all the time.

He suggested just put the extra Jesus back in the box and forget
about it.   "Put Baby Jesus back in the box! What a terrible thing to do,"
said the children.  "Surely someone will call," mother said. "We'll
just keep the two of them   together in the manger until  someone calls."

When no call had come by 5:00 on Christmas Eve, mother insisted
that  father  "just run down to the store," to see if there were any sets left.

"You can see them right through the  window, over on the counter,"
she said.  "If they are all gone, I'll know someone is bound to call
tonight."

"Run down to the store?" father thundered. "It's 15 below zero out
there!"

"Oh, Daddy,  we'll go with you," Tommy and Mary began to put on
their coats.  Father gave a long sigh and headed for the front closet  "I
can't believe  I'm doing this," he muttered.  Tommy and Mary ran
ahead as father  reluctantly walked out in the cold. Mary  got to the store
first and pressed her nose up to the store window.

"They're all gone, Daddy," she  shouted. "Every set must be sold."

"Hooray, Tommy said "The mystery will now be solved tonight!"

Father heard the news still a half block away and immediately
turned on his heel and headed back home.  When they got back into the house
they noticed that mother was gone and so was the extra Baby Jesus
figurine.

"Someone must have called and she went out to deliver the
figurine," my father reasoned,  pulling off his  boots. "You kids get ready for
bed while I wrap mother's present."

Then the phone rang. Father yelled "answer the phone and tell'em we
found a  home for Jesus."

But it was  mother calling with instructions for us to come to 205 Chestnut 
 Street immediately, and bring  three blankets, a box of cookies  and some milk.

"Now what has she gotten us into?" my father groaned as we bundled up
again.  "205 Chestnut. Why that's across town.  Wrap that milk up good
in  the  blankets or it will turn to ice before  we get there. Why can't we
all just get on with Christmas?  It's probably 20  below out there now.
And the  wind is picking up. Of all the crazy things to do on a
night like  this."

When they got to the house at 205 Chestnut Street it was the
darkest one on  the block  Only  one tiny light  burned in the living room
and, the  moment we set foot on the porch steps, my   mother opened
 the door and shouted, "They're here, Oh thank God you got here, Ray!  
You kids take those  blankets into the living room  and wrap  up the little ones
on the couch. I'll take the milk and cookies."

"Would you mind telling me what is going on, Ethel?" my father
asked. "We  have just walked through below  zero weather with the wind in
our faces all the way."
> >
> >  "Never mind all that now," my mother interrupted.  "There is no
heat in this house and this young mother is so upset she doesn't know what
to do.

Her husband  walked out on her and those poor little children will
have a very bleak Christmas, so don't you complain.  I told her you
could fix that oil furnace in a jiffy." My mother strode off  to the kitchen
to warm the milk  while my brother and I wrapped up the five little
children who were huddled  together on the couch.

The children's mother explained to my father that her husband had
run off,  taking bedding, clothing, and  almost every piece of
furniture, but she had been doing all right until the  furnace broke down.

I been doin' washin' and ironin' for people and cleanin' the five and
dime," she said. "I saw your number   every day there, on those
boxes on the counter. When the furnace went  out, that number 
kept going' through my mind.  7162, 7162  Said on the box that if 
a person was missin' Jesus,   they should call you That's how I 
knew you were good Christian people,  willin' to help folks. I figured 
 that maybe you would help me, too.

So I stopped at the grocery store tonight and I called your missus.
I'm not missin' Jesus, mister, because I sure love the Lord. But I am
missin'   heat I have no money to fix that furnace."

"Okay,Okay, " said father. "You've come to the right place. Now
lets see  You've got a little oil burner over there in the dining room.
Shouldn't be too hard to fix. Probably just a clogged flue. I'll look it 
over, see what it needs."

Mother came into the living room carrying a plate of cookies and
warm milk. As she set the cups down on   the coffee table, I noticed the
figure of Baby Jesus lying in the center  of the table. It was the only
sign of Christmas in the house. The children stared wide-eyed
 with wonder at the  plate of cookies my mother set before them.

Father finally got the oil burner working but said. " You need more
oil.   I'll make a few calls tonight and  get some oil. Yes, sir, you 
came to the right place," father grinned.

On the way home father did not complain about the cold weather and
had barely set foot inside the door when he was on the phone.
"Ed, hey, how are ya, Ed? Yes, Merry Christmas to you, too. Say Ed,
we have kind of an unusual situation  here I know you've got that
pickup truck.

Do you still have some oil in that barrel on your truck? You do? "

By this time the rest of the family were pulling clothes out of their
closets and toys off of their shelves.  It was long after their
bedtime when they were wrapping gifts. The pickup  came. 
On it were chairs, three lamps, blankets and gifts. Even though 
it was 30 below, father let them ride along in the back of the  truck.

No one ever did call about the missing figure in the nativity set,
but as I grow older I realize that it wasn't a packing mistake at all.
Jesus saves, that's what He does, and in the most miraculous ways!
Try to think of others instead of yourself, not only during the
holiday season, but all through the year too, you'll be amazed at how
blessed you are for doing it.

Unto YOU is born a SAVIOR,  HE IS CHRIST THE LORD !   Luke 2:11
Remember Christmas begins with   CHRIST  !




David A. Brown
Basic Christian: Forum
www.BasicChristian.org

 
