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.