Choosing Baby Jesus

Our fine arts classes had a decision to make:

was Baby Jesus an oversized and heavy, bald German
or a perfectly-sized, long-haired Aztec girl?
We ended up going with the Aztec girl.
Mary could have handled the German boy alright; but he still posed a threat in that he just might collapse the cardboard manger right off its cardboard legs.

Ah the things you deal with when your department decides to put on a Christmas tableaux. And my how God hides lessons in such a performance's advent season. For instance:

At one point yesterday, I had to retrieve that same Jesus from the hands of a young man who was beating it against a wall...not maliciously, more in a succumbing-to-ADHD fashion. One of the other kids told me, "Hey, Mrs. Way, H. is going to destroy Baby Jesus."

When I took the doll away from him, he said, "Well, He (meaning the real Jesus now) doesn't like me much anyway."

Now you have to know that H's reputation is not stellar. He has been in trouble frequently, but is nonetheless an extremely bright boy; likeable and usually respectful and helpful. But, he doesn't do his homework, and he is often tardy to class. He's simply not a follow-the-rules kind of guy. But h's also not a "bad" guy. This year is going much better for him in these respects than last year did, but his comment makes me fear that the self-image he constructed last year is still staunchly in place.

"Not so, H.," I objected. "He knows you're willing to be a donkey to carry Him. Not everyone is willing to do that."

I referred to another specific kid: D.
D. is one of the BMOC's at our school. Lots of money, lots of talent and lots of student-body admiration. Tall with dark good looks, he may appear flawless; but he is just as flawed as the rest of us, and and more exposed than he realizes, at least to the eyes of those who see through God's modes of revelation. God tested D. one day during rehearsal, and D. never knew it happened.

It was a little thing, so insignificant that it went right over his head, or maybe I should say over his heart in this case. We were running the scenes, and the one came up in which H. serves as a donkey for Mary to ride. He literally gets on hands and knees with a horse blanket thrown over him. His role is simply to let Mary sit on his back. But when we came to that scene, H. was helping the visual art part of the class by washing paint brushes. D. had poked his head around the kitchen door from the cafeteria where we rehearsed to call H. D. turned back to us saying, "H. is washing brushes."

So I asked, "D. would you fill in for him so we can move on with the scene?"

D. looked at me without expression. "No," he said. Not "No, I have bad knees," or "No, these are my only pair of good pants," (which wouldn't be the case for him anyway) just "No."

H. came out at that moment, drying his hands. "Some of us are trying to help," he said, and got down on his knees. And I loved him.

As for D, I was surprised by his unwillingness. But God put it in my heart later to pray for this boy as He was testing D., and D. failed. He had given D. the most literal presentation of this question I've ever seen anyone receive: will you make an ass of yourself for my sake, if only for a moment? D.'s heart had too much pride in it to say yes.

Even yesterday, a "word from God" came regarding this insignificant little tableaux that we'll perform for our fellow school-people. Only a negligible number of the world's masses will see it, but the little stories breathe life into the big ones. Though I pray that his eyes soon be opened, nevertheless in that moment listed above, D. personified pride, and God used this to teach me even more:

I bought D.'s crown for he has a role as one of the wise man. I went to Burger King to get four crowns to serve as bases for the work the art class will do to outfit these wise men and Herod in fitting attire. How funny, I thought, that lately I've come across two different kings in scripture who had the number of the beast associated with them in reference to the way they collected and used gold: that being 666. And guess how much change I got back from my $20 when I bought happy meals for my kids and me to eat (hence justifying the taking of crowns.)
$6.66.
Pride, a sense of false wisdom, a trust in the reputation of a crown that we don't realize is nothing but flimsy paper...these are indeed given the attention of the very throne of heaven, even in humble little stories ours. And how many in these stories know the eyes of heaven are upon them? Very few. The eyes of heaven on the Vatican, the Crystal Cathedral, dying martyrs in the Middle East...this many would expect, and they are right...but that His eyes are on this little place and this little tableaux with equal interest and interaction? Only the hosts of heaven seem to realize that this is also a significant part of the big story that defines the genuine heart of God and His Son. Most people's God is too small to be large enough to give attention so broadly yet without placing a favoring significance on the "powerful" according ot the world's eyes.

As usual, I am reminded of how the Word is still "life" because it repeats itself from Scriptural history as it is documented...for when God sent Samuel to anoint a new king over Israel, even Samuel first expected to anoint Eliab, the eldest son of Jesse.

I Samuel 16:6-7:
And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed [is] before him.
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

David, the youngest, wasn't even invited to the anointing ceremony, so sure was his family that he was NOT the one God would want. But--surprise!--He was the one God wanted, and they had to go take him from the drudge work he was doing to come and be "chosen."

H. was washing brushes, but had to leave as no one would do this most menial role in the play but him. No one realized that in God's eyes, his was the most honorable role of all.