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.

Day 14 The Christmas Thief: An Advent Calendar in Prose

 

The Christmas Thief

An Advent Calendar in Prose

Day 14

By the week before Christmas, Barnaby had developed a routine. Rising early, he’d follow the family to church. He’d watch Mama clean and then slip out for breakfast at Maggie’s, often returning later in the afternoon when the boys finished school. Barnaby lingered in the church after they left for home enjoying the quiet and the holiday decorations which had bloomed as the season went on. Wreaths draped every window. The Nativity scene grew as the church added shepherds, sheep, Wise Men with their camels, angels, and, just this week, Mary and Joseph. The manger would remain empty until Christmas Eve. Evenings came early. Often, Barnaby sat as candlelight replaced the light shining through the stained-glass windows flanking the altar. The church had routines too. Tuesdays and Fridays, the priest heard confessions. Mama kept Baby Girl extra quiet those days. Late Wednesday afternoons, children who attended the public schools came for catechism lessons. Barnaby listened as their teacher toured them around the sanctuary explaining the symbolism in the windows, relating the stories of Jesus feeding the 5000, Jesus walking on water, and, the story they liked best, Jesus being born in the manger. 

“Why was he born in a barn?” asked one, “I was born in the hospital.”

“He was far from home and this was all his mother and father could find,” the teacher replied. “I am sure that he didn’t mind. His mama and papa were close and the animals kept the stable warm. Mary wrapped him up tight and Joseph made sure they were safe. Angels sang him to sleep.”

“Who are those guys standing outside? Where did Jesus get those camels?” 

“Shepherds heard the angels and went to meet the new king. Wise Men rode camels from far away following the star in the sky.”

“Didn’t they have a map?” piped up a little boy.

“The stars were their map. They studied the stars for signs. When they saw that a king would be born, they gathered gifts and went to find him.”

“What kind of gifts did they bring? I want skates for Christmas,” said another. 

“They brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh, the most precious things they could find. You bring your best gifts to a king.”

“But he was just a baby. How did they know he would be king? He was born in a barn, not a palace.” 

“That’s why they are called Wise Men. They believed what the stars told them. The shepherds believed the angels. This baby, born in a manger, would be the greatest king the world would ever know.” The teacher’s words trailed off as she and the students left the sanctuary. Barnaby waited in the darkness. He looked at Mary kneeling at the manger. He thought about the mama with her little brood sleeping close together in the bed on King’s Ave. As the moon rose, Barnaby slipped out into the night and got to work.

Follow the Star: Matthew 2:2 “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (NIV)

Challenge: Leave a card or treat for your mail carrier today. Pray that he brings good news.