She probably should have named one of them “mischief” and the other one “discord,” for the two brothers always were in trouble. Ages 6 and 8, they constantly were fighting and forever causing grief. They finally drove their mother to her wit's end the day they stole some candy from the local convenience store. In desperation, she took them to see the preacher.

When the boys were seated in the reception area, she left, and the pastor called the older brother into his office. The young lad entered the room, sat very straight in his chair, and did not say a word. The preacher quietly stared at the boy for a few moments and then said, "Son, do you know where to find Jesus?" The boy remained speechless.

The preacher repeated, "Son, I asked you if you know where to find Jesus?" You could see in the youngster’s eyes a horrible sense of fear, even panic, yet he continued to be silent.

"Well," said the preacher, "I don't have all day for you to sit there and act dumb. So you go back to the reception area and send your brother into my office. However, I will have your mother bring you back here every day until you are ready to answer my question."

The boy hurriedly left the office and immediately headed for the reception area. When the younger brother saw him coming he asked, "What happened? What did he do? What did he say?"

The older brother replied. "Man, we really are in big trouble this time. Jesus is missing and the preacher thinks we stole him!"

I hope during this season of Advent and Christmas, that for you, Jesus has not been missing. I hope you have taken time to meet Jesus once again. He does not always appear just like we expect. He does not fit neatly into our patterns and our models. We cannot predict just how he will encounter us or even where that might be. However, that really should not come as a surprise. After all, the Christmas story that we have encountered throughout this Season is the story about the beginning of the human dimension of the Christ child - it is about God building a relationship with Creation. It is about God attempting to find a way to enter into the lives of the created, in order to become an intimate personal God.

I really do hope that you have found that experience once again.

Merry Christmas!

Les Robinson December 2010