Is Jesus Still A Baby?

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9: 6-7 (NIV)

It was a morning like every other. My two blond daughters sat on bar stools in our kitchen, eating breakfast and getting ready for school. I was pouring myself a cup of coffee and packing lunches for the day as they chitchatted together.

You never know when children will open their mouths and say something so brutally honest it makes you laugh out loud or ask a question which leaves you speechless for an answer. Occasionally they unknowingly speak a truth so profound you wonder why you never realized it on your own.

As my daughters ate, their conversation turned to Christmas. Emma, my four-year-old, snapped her head up as though she’d had an epiphany and asked, “Momma is Jesus still a baby?”

Before I could even set the coffee pot down on the counter and turn to face her, my six-year-old, laughed and said, “Oh Emma! He’s so much bigger than you think!”

I know Aubrey’s response wasn’t meant to inspire deep philosophical discussion. She has simply logged more Sunday School hours than her little sister and has a better grasp of Jesus’ whole life. Aubrey has heard the stories of His ministry, feeding the multitudes, raising the dead, healing the sick and in her mind Jesus is a grown man.

But Aubrey’s response resonated deeply with me. My mouth hung open as I absorbed what she had said. So many people, some who would label themselves as skeptics but also some who would call themselves Christians, still only see Jesus as a baby in a manger.

It is so easy to be swept up in the living our lives on earth that we allow Jesus to become a part of our Sunday morning routine. It’s so simple to “punch the clock” and to just show up at church, pay our respects and then resume life as usual as soon as we walk out the doors.

When we do that, we are essentially leaving Jesus in the manger. We are forgetting that that baby grew into a child who challenged the religious leaders of his day. We are forgetting that He was born to fulfill prophesy and that His sole purpose in being born was to give us the opportunity to be in fellowship with God again.

To a Christian the birth of Jesus should only be surpassed in beauty and importance by His death, burial and resurrection.

Are you serving Baby Jesus by punching the church clock or is the Jesus you serve the same one who fed 5000 with only three loaves and two fish? Is the Jesus you serve still lying sweetly in the manger, or is He continuing to change your life through your relationship with a Living God?

This Christmas season my six year old has challenged me to believe that Jesus is bigger than I could imagine. This year I’ll celebrate His birth, while remembering His resurrection.

How big is Jesus to you?

Copyright © Robin O’ Bryant, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved