"Where is God?"

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So here I am at Christmas Wonderland being Santa’s little helper and taking photos of children and families with Santa.  Christmas songs are playing, heaps of families are lining up and I am having fun chatting to children, mums and dads, grandparents, a bunch of teenagers.  

I turned to one boy, he’s maybe 7 or 8 years old, and asked him, “Are you ready to have your photo taken with Santa?” He looked at me as though I was crazy.  “No!” he declared loudly, “I haven’t come to have a photo with Santa, I came to find God!”  Stunned silence. His family gasped, then desperately tried to hide their laughter.  The young man was very serious.  “I am glad,” I say thinking very quickly on the spot, “you will find him in the next room with Mary and Joseph.” “Can I have a photo with him?”

Whilst I joined his family laughing, this boy’s words stopped me in my tracks. I looked around the crowded scene.  I saw, I mean really saw, the people who came – older people who were recalling Christmas’ past, their childhood memories, the excited “wow” from small children whose eyes were popping with wonder. God-moments of joy and delight.  I also saw a dad and his little son, looking beaten down by life sit beside Santa. Dad began to talk to Santa, life was hard, things were bad and Santa (one of our team) put his arm around him and hugged him.  Jesus was in the room.  I saw God.  I walked into the section we call the remembrance tree – a tree to hang a decoration for those we have lost.  The tree was full of tags.  As we stood by the tree, and later as the tags were removed and the team cried and prayed for those who were mourning, God was there.  

Whether people knew it or not, they came looking for Jesus – Christmas more than any other time of the year opens our hearts, and eyes to find God.  If we search, as the wise men did, if we look around us we will find him – the light of the world – Jesus. Can I have a photo with him?  You can have more than a photo with him, you can get to know him.

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