I heard about a school bus driver who stopped to pick up a kindergartener named Karissa just before Christmas. She noticed an older woman hugging her as she left the house.

 

“Is that your Grandma?” the bus driver asked.

 

“Yes,” Karissa said. “She came to visit us for Christmas.”

 

“How nice,” the driver said. “And where does Grandma live?”

 

“At the airport,” Karissa replied. “Whenever we want her, we just go out there and get her.”

 

Unfortunately, many people view the Christ child at Christmas about the same way that little Karissa viewed her grandmother. To a child, it seemed that Grandma just lived at the airport and came whenever they wanted her. But adults know that it is more complicated than that.

 

Jesus is nice to have around at Christmas, and so we pull out our nativity scenes and go to church. Then when we’re through with him, we put Him away and don’t think about him much until next year, unless we decide we need Him sooner. Then whenever it’s convenient, we call on Him, and when it’s not, we don’t think much about Him. But as we mature in our faith, we need to move beyond this childish view of Jesus.

 

Jesus didn’t stay in a manger. Babies are nice and cuddly. We can control their environment and keep them where we place them. But Jesus didn’t stay a baby. He grew up and made us uncomfortable. He confronted us all with a choice. He went from the cradle to a cross, and He asked people to take up their crosses and follow Him. 

 

So this Christmas, before you box up your tree and lights and put away the baby Jesus from your nativity scene, ask yourself a question. What will you do with the Jesus of Easter?

 

(Copyright 2010 by Bob Rogers. Email: brogers@fbcrincon.com. Read this column each Friday for a mix of religion and humor. You can read more “Holy Humor” on the Web site of First Baptist Church of Rincon at www.fbcrincon.com.)