HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES ARE LASTING

Some of my most poignant memories of my childhood Christmases are those of closet door nativities. The closet in my and my brother’s bedroom had two sliding doors around 4 feet wide each. Together they created a large expanse. At some point in my elementary years, I saw those doors as a canvas upon which I could create a Nativity. Taking black and brown construction paper, I taped on a background of black sky and brown earth. Then, with Christmas music playing on the stereo I would sit at the snack bar and first cut out of the construction-paper the beams and boards to build the stable and manger. These I’d assemble on the background. Then, back at the snack bar on paper of various colors I would draw and cut out the characters—human, angelic, and animal—of the Nativity. These I glued in and around the stable. There were other necessary accoutrements to make; things like the guiding star, a window, something to look like hay. The crowning, finishing act was to put baby Jesus in His construction paper manger. Forty-five plus years later that Christmas activity is still so memorable because it was meaningful; and, it was meaningful for the simple reason it was hands-on. That’s why I believe inexpensive Nativity scenes should be displayed in homes with young children so that they can pick up the characters, look them over from a close distance, arrange, and rearrange them in the scene. There are also magnetic Nativities to place on the refrigerator where children can remove, replace, and reposition the characters. Even adults can have a hands-on experience with Christmas each year—even if it is simply taking time to re-read the Nativity narratives from a physical Bible that can be held in hands and its pages turned. Hands-on at Christmas isn’t just to make Christmas memorable and meaningful. Hands-on is the very essence of what Christmas is all about. This thing about the Incarnation, this about the Word being made flesh, this about God becoming human is about this: In the incarnation God put Himself in our hands. The Apostle John, after having said in his Gospel that “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14), in his epistle says an extremely wonderous thing: “That which was from the beginning, .. OUR HANDS HAVE HANDLED, of the Word of life;” (1Jn 1:1). John says their experience of the Word was hands-on. He and the other disciples close to Jesus had handled this Word-in-the-Flesh, this God/Man. Joseph and Mary were the first to have this hands-on experience. As the Baby entered this world in that stable, Joseph, no doubt, was the one who received the Child in his hands and placed Him in Mary’s hands who laid Him at her breast. Later, she handled Him as she wrapped Him up warmly and tightly and handed Him back to Joseph who laid Him in a feeding trough. Later in life, the disciples embraced the Man Jesus in moments of greeting or affection, lifted Him to the back of a donkey, took His hand as He helped them out of a boat. John had even laid His head on Jesus’ chest at dinner. But, the first to experience “hands-on” Jesus were Mary and Joseph who handled Jesus so lovingly and kindly. In earthly life He was not only handled in kindness but also in cruelty. One example is the Temple security guard who slapped Jesus at His mockery of a trial. He too had a hands-on experience with Jesus. Personally, I believe that officer, however long afterwards he lived, could never shake the feeling of Jesus’ face under the palm of his hand. Hands-on proved the Word had really become humanity. But, it also provided opportunity for people to treat Jesus kindly or cruelly. In some folks’ hands He was handled kindly. In others, cruelly. Watch a small child who has taken the Baby Jesus out of the Nativity scene. How will he handle Him? Cradle Him? Rock Him? Throw Him as a baseball? Put Him on the stable’s roof? Hide Him? The Baby in the Manger is all about God putting Himself in humanity’s hands. At some point by hearing the Gospel, by the moving of His Spirit, you will find Him in yours. What will you do with Him? Where will you place Him in your life? Whatever you do, it will be a hands-on experience you’ll never forget. Not in time. Not in eternity. Hands-on experiences are lasting.

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES ARE LASTING

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