Following is an interesting story that I heard. I thought you might find it enjoyable during this Christmas season. When you get to the end of the story, I suspect you will pause and wonder at the pure and simple faith of a child.

The Pastor of a small church arrived early on Christmas morning to prepare for the Christmas Day worship service. It was not even light yet, but he enjoyed using the quiet hours of the morning to pray and review his sermon message. Once these preparations were completed, he decided to take a walk through the sanctuary. He wanted to make sure that everything was in place and ready for the service.

The church had for many years set up a manger scene in the foyer at the back of the church, and this year was no different. The sun was starting to rise and some of the light coming through the stained-glass-windows was landing on the manager scene. He paused to enjoy the beautiful picture and all that it represents. As his eyes moved from figure to figure, they eventually came to admire the one in the manger. The manger? The empty manger!

This was terrible. Christmas morning guests would start arriving within an hour, and the baby Jesus was missing from the nativity scene. He tried to remain calm, but as he continued to look around the nativity and around the church, he could feel a panic rising within. He assured himself, “There must be an exclamation.” He then proceeded to call the custodian, the assistant pastor and some of the elders. No one had a clue about the missing baby figure.

Since he was not able to find the baby, he had no choice but to explain the situation to the congregation. They took it well that morning as the Pastor challenged them, “The baby Jesus must be returned today. No questions will be asked, just make the return!”

By late afternoon, there had been no good news. The pastor decided to walk around the block and continue to pray about this. “Someone knows what is going on” he mused. As he was walking, he saw Johnny walking on the other side of the street. Johnny was the young son of one of the families in the church, and he was pulling what looked like a shiny, red, Christmas-new wagon behind him. Knowing the family, the Pastor was sure they had to sacrifice greatly to get their son such a nice present. The Pastor started to cross the street so he could wish the boy Merry Christmas and admire his new wagon.

As the Pastor approached the boy, he could see that the wagon was not empty. There, wrapped up in blankets, lie the baby Jesus missing from the nativity scene. This was a serious matter. Although Johnny was young, he needed to understand that his actions amounted to stealing. The Pastor knelt down in front of Johnny and explained the situation. Johnny listened carefully with a look of concern on his face. When Johnny was given opportunity to speak, Johnny explained, “No, No Pastor, you do not understand. This is my new wagon. I prayed and prayed and prayed that I would get it for Christmas. I wanted it so bad, that I promised Jesus if I did get it, that he could have the first ride.”