The True Spirit of Worship

 

The True Spirit of Worship

Last year, I went to prison for Christmas. I joined a group of chaplains who serve in a forensics unit of a psychiatric hospital to lead a worship service and pass out gifts to the patients awaiting evaluation for mental health issues. Since Hanukkah and Christmas coincided, the chaplains had planned sequential services to celebrate both. 

We arrived at the prison entrance with a choir made up of hospital employees, presented our identification, and walked through the metal detectors. Guards led us through the many locked doors to the chapel. We expected a good crowd since holidays are a welcome break in the monotony of imprisonment. As the choir warmed up, men and women, many with eyes downcast, filed in thanking the chaplains as they offered them bulletins and quietly took their seats. 

A chaplain welcomed them and invited them to join in the call to worship for the Christmas service. The choir began the opening carol. The congregation lifted their heads and voices to sing about the shepherd boy who saw a star that led him to a king shivering in a cold manger. The light of that star seemed to shimmer in each eye.

After the opening prayer, the chaplain asked for volunteers to read scripture passages. Many raised their hands and each read with reverence, sometimes stumbling over the difficult Bible names, but never faltering in their determination to share the good news.

The patient’s voices swelled the choir’s in the next carol. I noticed that the guards gathered in the back sang too. Two women guards, one wearing a headscarf, linked arms as they joined in the song, smiles lighting their faces. “Sing Noel, sing Noel, Sing we all Noel.” Noel — words of joy, a star of hope, a promise of deliverance. 

After the Christmas story was read, everyone joined in singing “Amen,” an American spiritual popularized in the film Lilies of the Field. Hardly had the notes faded when the rabbi took over the service raising his voice as he sang the traditional Hanukkah blessings: Baruch, atta ado-nai…” The choir joined him in a Hanukkah song. The congregation attempted to join in.

As the rabbi lit the candles in the menorah, he recalled the miracles, wonders, and triumphs the Jews celebrate at Hanukkah. The Hanukkah blessings echo their gratitude to God, who has kept us, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season of joy. Everyone in the chapel — patients, chaplains, choir, and guards — heard these words of comfort and repeated the responses of thankfulness led by the rabbi. We thank you, O Lord, for your deliverance… for your promise of peace… for your kindness. Words of gratitude, candles of hope, a promise of deliverance.

After the service, the choir sang a joyful carol as each patient came forward to thank us for the service and for visiting during the holidays. During that short hour, we were not patients and staff, prisoners and guards, Christians, Jews, or Muslims. We were people of faith, thankful for the hope of new birth, the promise of peace, and the miracle of deliverance. 

The true spirit of the holidays joined our hearts together. 

Day 25 The Gospel Story

 

An Advent Calendar in Prose

Day 25

Luke 2:1-18 The Message

About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger because there was no room in the hostel.

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.” At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises: 

Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

 As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11 The Message

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory— this was during Herod’s kingship—a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, “Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We’re on pilgrimage to worship him.”

Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time! 

They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.

Luke 2: 19-20 The Message

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!

Challenge: Sing like the angels. Run like the shepherds. Seek like the Wise Men. Keep all these things deep within you. Hold them dear. Praise God for everything. Christmas has come!

25

Day 24: The Christmas Thief: An Advent Calendar in Prose

 

The Christmas Thief

An Advent Calendar in Prose

Day 24

Reilly sat down at the table and slit open the envelope.

Dear Lt. Reilly,

I am long gone. Thought I’d try my luck somewhere new. So hitched a ride on Santa’s sleigh and headed north –- or south or wherever someone like me can find to start over again. 

Guess you recognized my stuff in that basement apartment on King’s Avenue. No room in Santa’s sleigh. Don’t bother checking your stolen goods file. You’ll find receipts for all of it in this envelope. That family’s stable was pretty bare. The baby in the manger looked cold. They needed a wise guy to bring them some gifts. 

You won’t be seeing my name on police blotters anymore. That family was my Christmas gift. If they can make it straight, so can I. Tell them that good things can happen when you least expect them. Merry Christmas!                                                         Barnaby

Reilly pocketed the envelope and left the apartment. Tomorrow was soon enough to do police work. Today was Christmas and he’d just gotten a pretty good gift. A wise guy became a Wise Man. He headed for home with a light heart thanks to one special Christmas Thief.

Why He Came: John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (NRSV)

Challenge: Good things happen when you least expect them. No one expected a Savior in a manger.  Are you expecting good things? Look for them today. Find them in the places you least expect. Head home with a light heart thanks to one very special Savior. 

Day 23: The Christmas Thief: An Advent Calendar in Prose

 The Christmas Thief

An Advent Calendar in Prose

Day 23

Reilly was out the door and half-way down the block before you could say, “St. Nick.” He stopped by the precinct to question a few cons who had been guests of the city for the holidays. With bribes of cookies and eggnog, he got the information he needed. Hailing a taxi, he headed to Barnaby’s. 

Outside an old brownstone in a quiet part of town, Reilly pulled out his nightstick and eased open the door. Not a creature was stirring as he mounted the stairs. Barnaby was dreaming of gold-encrusted sugar plums, he’d bet. Reilly stopped on the landing outside of Barnaby’s door. The door was ajar. 

This would be easy.

Reilly eased open the door and peeked inside. The apartment was empty. Cautiously, he entered. The rooms were stripped, drawers standing open and closets and shelves bare. A wooden table stood in the center of the tiny kitchen. Something fluttered to the floor as Reilly entered. An envelope. 

An envelope addressed to him. 

A  Message for Us: Hebrews 2:16-18 So notice—His concern here is not for the welfare of the heavenly messengers, but for the children of Abraham. He had to become as human as His sisters and brothers so that when the time came, He could become a merciful and faithful high priest of God, called to reconcile a sinful people. Since He has also been tested by suffering, He can help us when we are tested. (The Voice)

Challenge: God addressed an envelope to humanity. He delivered it in the manger at Bethlehem. The message inside told of his love. Jesus became human so that we might understand that message. He didn’t come in the form of a deity. He didn’t come in the form of a king. He came as a child so that we might recognize him as one of us. 

Have you opened God’s envelope today? What message do you read? Read about his love today. Read your Bible or Google “God’s love.” So many verses will pop up that you might just shut down the internet. Copy one verse that speaks to you. Put it in an envelope to save. Open it every day to remind yourself of what Jesus has done and will do for us all. 

Day 22 The Christmas Thief: An Advent Calendar in Prose

 

The Christmas Thief

An Advent Calendar in Prose

Day 22

“I don’t know what to make of it, Officer,” the thin woman bubbled. “We found it this morning. We slept later than usual because we were so warm. When we woke up, we were covered with this.” She held up a heavy eiderdown quilt. 

“The children rushed out to the living room to see if Santa had come and we found a room full of packages!” She pointed to the pile in the corner. “The children insist that it was Santa but I don’t know what to make of it.” She pulled a blue satin dressing gown tightly around her thin shoulders. 

Reilly looked around the shabby apartment. Three cherubs romped in fleece robes among piles of torn wrapping paper and shredded ribbons. Bright red stockings hanging from the mantle sagged under the weight of the treasures inside. A silver tea set stood on the table next to a tiny Nativity scene. Reilly walked over and picked up the pot. Sterling all right. Must have cost a pretty penny. Reilly set it down next to the Wise Men offering gifts to the sleeping baby in the manger. Joseph and Mary guarded the child in his straw-filled manger bed. 

“We’ve never had a Christmas like this, Officer.” The woman’s eyes shone. 

Reilly looked away. Christmas Days like these did not happen to families like this. Something had to be crooked. He took in the blazing fire, the full stockings, and the excited kiddos. The boys each wore new mitts and the little girl was clutching a teddy bear. It was the shabbiest thing in the room, but she looked as thrilled as if it had been made of gold. His nose tickled as the mother uncovered a steaming tray of buttery pancakes and sizzling sausages that had been left on the small table. The aroma of Columbian coffee wafted through the air. He took one last look at the tiny Nativity and the Wise Men bearing gifts and thought about a wise guy he had better check out. He refused an invitation to breakfast, told the family that he would be in touch, and headed back home.

That afternoon, with his stomach bulging with roasted turkey, hot buttery yams, and plum pudding, Reilly snored in his easy chair by the fire. Something about this morning’s holiday scene swam into his dreams. That blue dressing gown – a gold B embroidered on the pocket. Those buttery pancakes.  Who did he know that fit that picture?

A Gift for All Nations: Luke 2:25-33 In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God: God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation; it’s now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel.

     Jesus’ father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words (MSG)

Challenge: Even though the Jews had been waiting for him for centuries, very few recognized Jesus when he came. Simeon, an old man, a good man, waited expectantly. How do we wait? Wait expectantly. Look for Jesus today in the good gifts God has given you. Thank God for every one. 

Day 21 The Christmas Thief: An Advent Calendar in Prose

 

The Christmas Thief

An Advent Calendar in Prose

Day 21

The jangle of the phone roused Reilly once more on Christmas morning. Something was up on King’s Ave. The beat cop thought the lieutenant better check it out himself. Reilly heard Jenny and the girls squealing in the parlor. Santa must have come. King’s Ave. could wait a few minutes.

“Ho, ho, ho,” he cried as he stepped into the parlor. Peals of laughter exploded around him as the girls showed off their treasures. Annie grabbed him and led him to the tree.

“Look, Daddy,” she cried. “Jesus is in the manger. Now it’s really Christmas.”

Reilly followed her gaze into the manger. Jesus slept peacefully among the animals and dolls. Mary knelt in prayer. Joseph kept watch. Angels sang with joy. Annie’s face shone with joy. Katy knelt under the tree. Reilly kept watch.

“Come, girls,” Jenny called. “Breakfast is ready. Daddy will be home for lunch and after that, we’ll all go to church.” She gave him a meaningful smile as she handed him a steaming cup of coffee and he hoped he could fulfill her prediction. 

Shrugging into his coat, Reilly cursed the beat cop under his breath, kissed the wife and the girls who were still trembling with excitement about their gifts, and trudged out into the cold. Sometimes, he hated being a cop.

Your Place at the Manger: Luke 2:13-20 At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told! (MSG)

Challenge: Where do you stand at the manger? Do you worship with the angels? Do you kneel with Mary in prayer? Do you keep watch with Joseph? Do you run with the shepherds to find Jesus? Do you share the good news with everyone you meet? Do you hold these things in your heart? Reflect on the birth story of Jesus. Where do you stand? Act in that place today. 

Day 20 The Christmas Thief: An Advent Calendar in Prose

 

The Christmas Thief

An Advent Calendar in Prose

Day 20

Lt. Reilly jiggled the doorknob on 106. Locked up tight. He stopped to light a cigar. Smoke drifted up into the star-filled night. Dim lights glowed in the windows of the two upper apartments. The basement apartment was dark. All was calm. Glancing up at the stars brightening the night, Reilly thought of his little girls who brightened his days and their dear mother Jenny. He prayed that they were sleeping in heavenly peace as he crushed his cigar and continued on his rounds. His shift was over at midnight. He couldn’t wait to get home.

Barnaby eased the door shut and tripped up the stairs. A few coins jingled in his pockets as he stepped out into the early morning. Christmas twinkled in silent streets. He paused a moment to look up at the starry night. No angels sang. No shepherds or camels wandered down King’s Ave. One baby slept in a chipped manger in 1A. Three babies slept with their tired mother in a single bed.

Barnaby tipped his hat as he passed the 57th precinct and removed it as he passed into Saint Anthony’s. An air of expectancy filled the hushed sanctuary. A few homeless bums slept in the pews. A priest walked among them dropping blankets over their sleeping forms.

Barnaby stepped up to the votary and dropped a few coins into the box. He lit four candles then turned toward the creche. The baby now slept in the manger. The same sorrowful Jesus hung on the cross. Barnaby winked up at him then turned and walked down the center aisle and out into the dawning morning. 

He wondered if Maggie’s was open this early. 

Where Shall We Find Him? Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 

When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.         (NRSV)

Challenge: Where do you see Jesus in our story today? In the starry night? In the manger? On the cross? In the prayers of Reilly? In the votary candles? In the mercy of the priest? In the homeless men sleeping in the pews? In Barnaby’s springy step? In Reilly’s thoughts of home? The wise men expected to find a king in a palace; they found a Savior in a humble house. Where do you look for Jesus? Do you see him in a child’s smile? A willing hand? A generous gift? A quiet prayer? Look for Jesus in the places you don’t expect him. He will be there. 

Day 19 A Christmas Thief: An Advent Calendar in Prose

 

The Christmas Thief

An Advent Calendar in Prose

Day 19

Reilly spent the afternoon dealing with the petty crimes of the season. He returned to the station to find carols echoing up from the cells. Those who were spending Christmas in the pokey were enjoying a turkey dinner. Each had received a small gift: a pocket comb, some soap, a pair of socks, or a bar of chocolate. Smiles wreathed each face as the captain passed by shaking hands and offering each a hearty, “Merry Christmas!”

“You’re a regular Santa,” Reilly joked.

“Aw, go on with you,” the captain replied. “Everybody deserves a little Christmas. Jesus had a soft spot for charlatans and thieves. Making their Christmas sweet makes mine sweeter still.”

Reilly dropped into his desk chair hoping for a few quiet moments. The merriment from the cells mingled with his thoughts of home. 

The night was silent when Barnaby slipped into 106 King’s Ave. As the old poem went, “Nothing was stirring, not even a mouse.” Peering into the darkness of 1A, Barnaby searched for packages under a tree. The same empty room greeted him. The dishes had been cleared from around the lonely manger scene. The figures now carefully arranged on a white cloth napkin. An opened envelope covered with canceled stamps lay under the manger. A letter from Pop?

Three ragged socks hung under the mantle decorated with a holly branch wrapped in red ribbon and a few pieces of tinsel. Barnaby fingered the bulge at the bottom of each. An orange. Some present for a kid on Christmas morning. Barnaby crept towards the bedroom with his bulging sacks.

Faith in Hard Times: Philippians 4:12-14  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (NIV)

Challenge: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” These familiar words begin A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. How many days have these words proved true in our own lives? We get up in the morning full of joy and by noon we are in the depths of despair. 

Jesus was born into hard times. His family was far from home without proper shelter, the night was cold, Mary had no relatives to help her give birth, Joseph had doubts about the origins of his newborn son, and, unbeknownst to them, a king was after his life. Mary and Joseph didn’t focus on what was lacking; they looked into the manger to find joy. 

In our story, the little family in 1A are living in hard times, times of poverty, and want. Yet, they look not at the empty stockings but at the full manger in faith. Let us do likewise. Today, turn away from the “empty stockings” in your life; focus on the full manger and the Savior within. 

Day 18 The Christmas Thief: An Advent Calendar in Prose

 

The Christmas Thief

An Advent Calendar in Prose

Day 18

Reilly watched Barnaby exit the church alone. His pockets didn’t bulge which was a good sign. Lots of coins in the holy water boxes this time of year. Reilly followed Barnaby at a safe distance. Barnaby wove in and out of the crowd, often disappearing into a shop for a minute or two, adding packages as he went. Reilly stepped into a few of the shops to question the clerks but none reported any thefts. A few remembered a swarthy man with deep pockets but, in the rush of the day, none could offer further identification. Eventually, Reilly lost Barnaby in the crowd. Cold and hungry, he headed home for lunch. He was on duty tonight. This would be his Christmas Eve meal. 

Annie and Katy squealed when he opened the door, “Daddy!” Each grabbed a hand and dragged him into the parlor where a glistening tree stood in the corner.

“Look, Daddy,” Annie said. “The manger is all ready for the baby.” 

Reilly looked under the tree. Mary and Joseph knelt by the manger. Shepherds and a few baby dolls crowded round. A sheep and a cow, a zebra, and an elephant stood guard.

“Zebras and elephants at the manger?” Reilly asked.

“Of course, Daddy,” Katy crowed. “Jesus loves everyone — even zebras and elephants.” 

The girls bounced off to lunch. Reilly looked from the manger to the angel on top of the tree. He followed his two little angels into the kitchen where a third waited with his lunch.

To Set Them All Free: 1 Tim 2:4-7 He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned: that there’s one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth. (MSG)

Challenge: Think about the group at the manger — peasant parents, ragged and rough shepherds, strange-looking travelers from a foreign land — not the group you would expect to welcome a king. Jesus welcomes all to his kingdom. Look around you today. Notice all the different people you meet. Envision each one at the manger, standing with Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, the Magi, and you. All come to worship the king. All welcomed by Jesus. Welcome them too.

Day 17 The Christmas Thief: An Advent Calendar in Prose

 

The Christmas Thief

An Advent Calendar in Prose

Day 17

“A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

Drivel. As he pushed through the holiday crowds, Barnaby’s thoughts ricocheted back and forth in time from his mother’s drunken prayers to the little girl’s teddy bear. 

How could anyone believe that a baby in a manger was a king? Who could believe that a king would die for bums like me? What would make a little girl give up her greatest treasure to a dream, a myth, the stuff charlatans used to fleece the masses? The golden altar loomed over the manger. The baby in the manger, the man on the cross, the golden altar. Which one was truly Jesus? 

Barnaby scuffed along the sidewalk, blind to the holly and tinsel, deaf to the joyous carols. The manger and the cross wrestled in his mind. Jesus, holding a teddy bear, looked straight into Barnaby’s heart.

Barnaby flopped into a booth at Maggie’s and ordered a cup of java. Father Brown’s droning echoed in his ears. The shivering parents, the humble shepherds, the Wise Men, even the sheep and the cattle were all welcome at the manger. Somewhere in the back of Barnaby’s mind, a niggling memory brought him back to his mother’s side. Another sermon, a solemn one, his mother crying as the priest told of the suffering Jesus, the one Barnaby could never reconcile as real, looking down from the cross and forgiving those who were jeering at him. Two other crosses flanked his. Two criminals who deserved their sentences. Two thieves. 

Barnaby signaled for another cup. 

Savior for All: Luke 23:39-43 One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: “Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!” But the other one made him shut up: “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him—he did nothing to deserve this.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.” He said, “Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise.” (MSG)

Challenge: The earthly journey of Jesus stretches from the cradle to the cross. Often, we forget that Jesus did not stay a baby in a manger. He grew and prospered, taught and healed, loved, wept, and suffered. In his final moments on the cross, Jesus forgave his persecutors and welcomed a criminal, traditionally thought to be a thief, to join him in his heavenly kingdom — not after he had served his sentence, not after he made recompense, but immediately, the moment he believed. Today, believe and you will be in paradise with Jesus. Offer a word of forgiveness to someone in your life.

Day 16: The Christmas Thief: An Advent Calendar in Prose

 

The Christmas Thief

An Advent Calendar in Prose

Day 16

Barnaby joined the noisy throng heading toward the church. Father Brown offered a morning mass for those too old or infirm to make it to Midnight Mass. The sorrowful Jesus hung over his head watching the woebegone congregation as they heard the old story of the miraculous birth. Here and there, a handkerchief was raised to a wrinkled cheek.

About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books. These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed. So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David’s hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David’s family.

Mary was engaged to Joseph and traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, and while they were there, she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay because there was no room for them in the inn.

Barnaby looked from the cross to the creche and shook his head. Chumps.

Barnaby spotted Mama and Baby Girl in the nave worshiping among the gray and bent heads. Baby Girl clutched her teddy bear. When the line stretched up the aisle for communion, Mama joined the queue. Baby girl wiggled for a minute in the seat then quietly slipped up the aisle to the creche. While the parishioners received the Host, she slipped her teddy bear into the manger. She turned to leave, then stopped and placed a kiss on the bear’s nose. She returned to her pew before her mama returned. 

Barnaby stepped behind a pillar as the congregation dispersed. The priest blessed the stragglers. No one else had noticed the bear in the manger. Barnaby slipped out into the crisp air.

Leading: Isaiah 11:6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf, and the lion and the yearling together, and a little child will lead them. (NIV)

Challenge: Little children are full of wisdom. Take a moment today to watch or listen to a little child. Go where they lead. Donate to a charity that supports children.

Day 15 The Christmas Thief: An Advent Calendar in Prose

 

The Christmas Thief

An Advent Calendar in Prose

Day 15

Christmas Eve morning dawned cold and crisp. Heavy clouds bulged with snow waiting to fulfill the dreams of every child dreaming of a white Christmas. Very early, the sidewalks filled with shoppers seeking last-minute gifts. Carols floated along the sidewalks as street musicians put down caps hoping that the season would loosen some change from bulging purses. 

A police officer stood on every corner, some sporting holly on their caps — a blatant disregard for the uniform but the captain looked the other way at this season. Reilly joined the officers on the beat keeping an eye out for shoplifters and pickpockets. On his lunch hour, he slipped into Al’s. On one of his many visits, he had noticed a brooch that would just match the color of Jenny’s eyes. He hoped it was still there. Al stood behind the counter as always, a limp red bow hanging from the rod above his gray head. Reilly glanced at the brooch resting on its velvet cushion and Al jumped right into bargaining. 

“It’s a pretty little piece, isn’t it. Look like real sapphires to me. I couldn’t let it go for less than fifty.”

“Looks like glass to me,” said Reilly. “Not worth more than ten.” 

“Ten is an insult. Quality workmanship like that? It’s a steal at $40.”

“For $40, I would have to know where it came from. I might go as high as $12.”

“Talk about highway robbery! All right, all right, the season has me soft. I’ll let it go for $15.” Reilly dropped some bills on the counter as Al loosened the brooch from the velvet. 

“Tell you what, call me an old softie, but I have some silver paper somewhere in the back and a nice box. What if I wrap it up for you.” Al picked up the brooch and headed for the back. 

Reilly called out after him, “Make sure the same brooch goes into the box!”

Waiting for Al to return, Reilly watched a dark figure pass the window. That sure looks like my old friend Barnaby. Wonder what he is doing out so early? Reilly thanked Al, pocketed the now gaily wrapped box, and headed out into the street after Barnaby.

Giving Gifts: Matthew 2:11-12 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (NIV)

Challenge: Some gifts come wrapped in silver paper; one came in a manger. Focus on the gift in the manger. Give a gift to a server today — a generous tip or a word of encouragement. Wrap it in love.