Last Gift at the Manger

8/3/2019 Last Gift at the Manger

1/9

1993 William D. Kennedy 41 Birch Road Malvern PA 19355 (610) 695-9419 [email protected]

n the household of Godfrey and TracySwench, there is no busier time on the

calendar than the weeks between

Thanksgiving and Christmas. Godfrey is thesole pastor at Methodist Church in YellowSprings. Tracy is a caterer for a local catering

venture specializing in business banquets,receptions, and large parties, of which there are many during

the last few weeks of the year.

Godfrey and Tracy may not have thought about it, but this

is an unusually difficult time for their four year-old son Jacob.Like his Biblical namesake, young Jacobs heart is in the right

place, even though his conduct often is not. He was a well-mannered baby until he hit the terrible twos, when he

apparently discovered the power of the public temper tantrum.When he turned three, he moved on to food tossing. This past

year, he mastered the art of losing things. He goes out to playwith two shoes and comes back twenty minutes later with only

one. Jacob carries his toys, games, and action figures from oneroom to the next, from indoors to out, and is rarely able to

account for more than a partial inventory when the day is done.

Sometimes Jacob doesnt even know hes missing

something until his parents tell him, which makes the lost itemmuch harder to find. The variety of items which their son

manages to misplace amazes Godfrey and Tracy. One dayGodfrey came home and found Jacob running around the back

yard with a beach towel tied around his neck and shortssagging onto his hips.

Jacob, Godfrey interrupted the boy, where is yourbelt?

I

Bill Kenned


2/9

PHLDMS1 4920363v.12

Im Superman, Daddy! Call me Superman! He continuedhis efforts to rid the world of evildoers and baddies.

Okay, Superman, where is your belt?

Huh?

Your belt. You know, that thing that goes around yourwaist and holds up your pants. Where is it?

It was only then that Jacob realized why his heroic flightshad so little lift -- while his right hand was extended like a

plane wing, his left hand was clutching the waist of his JuniorJeans to keep them from dancing at his ankles. Jacob and his

father were equally clueless as to where the belt could be.

At first, Tracy and Godfrey were amused by Jacobsabsent-mindedness. When confronted with a possessionsabsence, Jacobs face took on an adorable look of absolute

innocence and mystery, as if he had nothing to do with theobjects disappearance. There were even a few lost items that

Tracy was glad to see go, like a miniature Barney figurine orthe cowboy with a pull string that made him say yippee-ti-yi-

yo a dozen times in a row.

Jacob was an eager looker, too. He liked searching for

misplaced toys almost as much as playing with them in thefirst place. More than once, however, Tracy suspected Jacob

intentionally lost his toys just so they could look for ittogether, as if it were a game. Often Jacob was more interested

in providing creative explanations as to how an object was lostthan he was in preventing future repetitions.

Take the belt incident, for example. When pressed, headmitted, Big gween monster was gonna eat me. He had big

long teeth, and he had fire in his mouth, and I fight him withmy supew powers, and he musta got the belt.

Jake, his father plied patiently, there wasnt anymonster. Now think, where did you remove the belt?

Was a monster, Dad. A wanasauwus Wex.

You can hardly blame a child for surrendering his belt to

an extinct dinosaur, now can you? On the whole, you see,Jacob wasnt a bad boy, just one with a short attention span

and active imagination.

But as his misplacements began to become expensive, the

game grew tiresome for his hard-working parents -- particularly around Christmas time, when they their jobs

required countless extra hours. For Tracy, Christmas meanttwice as much business. Her corporate customers were busy

toasting the season with festive buffet luncheons for theirclients and business partners. The weeknights were booked

with company holiday parties and receptions.

For Godfrey, Christmas was crunch time. He had to

prepare four sermons of increasing quality and import for eachof the Sundays in Advent. There was also the choirs

Christmas Cantata, which he would host in his role as Pastor,

and in which he would participate in his role as half of thechoirs tenor section. Twice during the last week beforeChristmas, he would take as many people as would come to go

caroling through the halls of the Conestoga County Hospital.Then there were two dates to ring bells for the Salvation Army

at the Conestoga Mall. All of this activity culminated onChristmas Eve, when Godfrey would lead both an informal

7:30 p.m. service designed mostly for kids and also an 11:00 p.m. candlelight communion service. Godfrey felt compelled

to deliver his most inspirational message of the year at this


3/9

PHLDMS1 4920363v.13

later service, but given the hour, it also had to be among his briefest, and it would, he knew, be among his least

remembered.

All of these seasonal pressures made time a valuable

commodity for the Swench family. Whether they liked it or

not, Tracy and Godfrey found themselves working on aschedule that was timed almost to the minute. They probablyshould have written down an agenda of who had to be where,

when, and for what. That might have avoided the problem theyran into on December 24th.

The problem had its roots the prior evening, December23rd. Godfrey had gone to the church expecting to find a team

of volunteers to assist in setting up the elaborate manger sceneon the altar. Instead, he was met only by old Mr. Banford. At

age 85, Mr. Banford still has the will for service, but his backand legs only qualify him only for light lifting and experienced

supervision. What should have been an hours job became athree hour effort. Godfrey did all of the heavy work. He

retrieved the plywood manger and feeding trough from the basement and carefully reassembled the nuts and bolts which

held it together. Then they had to find the paper mache Maryand Joseph which for some reason was stored in the boiler

room. He was making good progress until they went to lookfor the Baby Jesus. The china doll Lord was no where to be

found. Godfrey and Mr. Banford searched in the entire basement, the boiler room, and all four storage closets but

could not find the figure of the Baby Jesus. Instinctively,Godfrey wondered if his son had gotten to it. If so, the Savior

might be lost and never found.

You cant have a manger scene without the Baby Jesus,

Godfrey thought out loud.

Maybe, suggested Mr. Banford, we could just pile upsome hay in the manger and put a blanket over top and no one

would notice.

The kids will notice. At the early service, the children all

bring up a present that they bought with the money from their

Bible Banks. They come up to the altar and lay their presentsat the manger, like the three Wise Men.

What do you do with all the presents then?

I drop them off at the Community Service Centerafterwards, and theyre delivered to appropriate families in

time for Christmas morning.

What a marvelous new idea. Mr. Banfords memory was

no stronger than his back. For over fifteen years, YellowSprings Methodist children had been dropping nickels and

dimes into Bible-shaped piggy banks. At the end of every year,the children would take their deposits to purchase a Christmas

gift for the less fortunate. The practice was as much a part ofgrowing up in the church as was crying through sermons.

Godfrey just smiled. The men resumed the hunt for the HolyChild. Eventually they found the doll in the nursery, piled

among Fisher Price toys.

Perhaps it was just the effect of the unexpectedly longnight before or maybe it was the toll of the season, but Godfreywas mighty slow in getting going on Christmas Eve morning.

Tracy picked up the slack by getting Jacob ready for a morningChristmas party at his nursery school.

Honey, Tracy called up the stairs as she prepared to boltout the door, now remember, Ill drop off Jake to be with you

at the church at 10:30 so I have time to set up for my luncheon,okay?


4/9

PHLDMS1 4920363v.14

Over the buzzing of an electric razor came the reply, Gotit.

Ill stop here at the house to get his Bible Bank. Hell justlose it if I give it to him now. But dont forget to take him to

the Mall to get something to put up at the altar tonight, okay?

The buzzing continued.

Honey, did you hear me? I said...

I heard you! Godfrey called over the razor and through

the closed bathroom door. When will you be back home?

I hope to be back by 3:30. Well shoot for dinner at 5:00,

so you can have some time before you have to go over to the

church.

Ten-thirty found Godfrey in his office tinkering with hissermon outline. He couldnt count the hours he had spent on it

already. For weeks he had been arranging notes, thoughts, andscripture readings, trying to develop a powerful yet short

message. Tracy was in a hurry, so she left Jacob to play in thepreschoolers Sunday School room. In a few minutes Godfrey

checked on the boy and was relieved to find him happilyplaying with a set of cardboard building bricks.

Jake, can you play here by yourself for a little while? Ivegot just a few more things to do before we go, okay?

Uh huh. Jacob was so engrossed in his construction thathe didnt even look up.

It was shortly after noon before Godfrey closed up theoffice and returned to the preschool room. He found toys

strewn everywhere. Kneeling in the middle of the room withgreen and red covering his hands and face was little Jacob.

Lookit, Daddy, lookit, I made a Chrimas tree with fingo-paints!

Godfrey spent the fifteen minutes cleaning up Jacob, thencleaning up the room. While doing so, Godfrey tried to recall

his wifes instructions. Which of them was to help Jacob pick

out a toy for tonights service?

Jake, are we supposed to get something for you to putunder the manger tonight?

Nun-uh.

Godfrey hesitated. Are you sure? Do you still have the

money from your Bible Bank?

Nope. All gone.

Godfreys interrogation was interrupted when his secretaryPearl appeared in the doorway. God, she addressed him,

Bishop Bishop is on line one. Do you want to talk to him?

Godfrey cringed, not because Byson Bishop, the Methodist

regional manager, was on the phone, but because Pearl hadreverting into the annoying habit of abbreviating his own first

name. Given his occupation, Rev. Swenchs moniker wasawkward. Shrink Godfrey to one syllable and it sounds both

arrogant and irreverent. Say it slowly at full length and itsounds like hes an atheist.

Sure, Ill be right there. He left Jacob to re-scatter thetoys.

By the time he returned to his son, Godfrey was againfeeling behind schedule. It was nearly 1:30 by the time they

got home, and it was pushing 2:30 before they had finishedlunch and were both lying down for a nap. Godfrey needed his


5/9

PHLDMS1 4920363v.15

rest; he still had a long night ahead of him. There was the 7:30service, then delivering the toys to the Community Service

Center at 9:00, then returning to the church at 10:30 to preparefor the 11:00 Christmas Eve service. It would be one a.m.

before hed get home, and then hed have to set out all the giftsunder their tree.

Tracys luncheon went longer than she had planned. By thetime she arrived home, Godfrey had started dinner.

Long party? he asked.

No thanks, I just came from one. Tracy managed a wan

smile. Its like this every year. The last affair we cater justdrags on and on and on. Ive got a killer headache.

Tis the season.

How was the Little Terror? Tracy pointed upstairs to

Jacobs room.

Fine. He played by himself at the church. I made him

lunch and he went right off to sleep.

Good. What did you get?

Godfrey was confused. What do you mean, what did I

get?

What did you and Jacob get for him to put up at themanger tonight?

Godfrey paused. I thought you got him something thismorning.

Tracy slapped her hand to her forehead, which did wondersfor her growing headache. No, Godfrey, she began slowly. I

said I didnt have time this morning, but I would stop to pickup his Bible Bank before I brought him to you. Which I did. I

put it in his book bag because I didnt want him to lose it. Itold you that this morning.

Godfrey sighed with resignation. He thought Christmas

shouldnt be this harried. He explained weakly, I asked Jakeif he had his Bible Bank money to go shopping, and he said no,so I thought you had already gotten something for him. Then

the phone rang and I forgot about it. Godfrey picked up hissons book bag. It was empty.

He probably lost it again. Tracy was tired and disgusted.She didnt know where to direct the frustration she felt -- at her

forgetful husband, her careless son, or both? Or maybe at herown work schedule. She had worked so hard to make this

business successful but now look at her -- she hardly had timefor her family at Christmas.

You just didnt listen to me this morning, she scolded.Godfrey nodded in quiet agreement. He knew from which side

of the family Jacob received his attention span.

Godfrey looked at his watch. Its too late to get anything

now. Everythings closed. Ill get one of Jacobs presents fromthe basement and he can put that at the altar tonight.

Tracy disagreed. No, Godfrey, that wont teach himanything. Hes got to learn. This is the third Bible Bank hes

lost this year. Hes got to learn the consequences of his actions.

So?

So we wont let him go up to the altar with the otherchildren. Hell have to sit with me in the pew and watch all the


6/9

PHLDMS1 4920363v.16

others go up. If he sees how his forgetfulness has cost him,hell remember in the future.

Godfrey wasnt at all sure that this was the time forlearning experiences, but it was clearly less the time for

arguing with his wife. Well I dont want the kids from the

Community Services Center to lose out. Ill get one of thepresents we got for Jacob and take it over with the others.

Tracy agreed, others shouldnt suffer for Jacobs

misbehavior.

Jacob, Godfrey called up the stairs, come down here,

please. Mom put your Bible Bank in your back pack thismorning. Where is it now?

The boy grabbed the hand rail and carefully descended onestep at a time. He could go faster than this when he wanted to,

but there was no mistaking his fathers tone of voice. He wasin trouble, although he wasnt quite sure why. Onna chair,

he answered.

No, not the back pack. Ive got the back pack. I mean the

Bible Bank. Where is it?

Jacob looked into his fathers eyes. He was about to explain

when Godfreys patience lapsed.

You lost it, didnt you? The accusation left no room for

fancy explanations.

Jacob began to protest, I didnt lose it Daddy...

Godfrey had heard enough. Jake, go on back to yourroom. Well deal with you later.

Standing alone, the absence of a childs piggy bank would probably not have been much of a household incident. The

bank itself and the money in it totaled far less than some ofJacobs other recent losses. But coming as it did at the end of

weeks of long, draining days, it seemed that the reservoir of parental patience had run dry, perhaps a little quicker than it

ought to have.

Seven-thirty came quickly that night. The early service was

more of a carol sing-along than a worship service. The smallsanctuary was packed with parents and children of all ages, the

youngest of whom came in their pajamas and bathrobes. Theorganist led them through a merry run of Christmas favorites:

Deck the Halls, Jingle Bells, The First Noel, and Awayin the Manger, all in a row. Everyone was having fun. The

sound of eager children giggling and laughing burned off the

tension Godfrey had felt in the past weeks.

Godfrey then read the Christmas account from St. Lukesgospel, and gave a short, elementary childrens Christmas

sermon. It was part of what he thought was a futile attempt toget the kids -- and their parents -- to think more about the

meaning of the birth of their Savior than about Santa.

Soon the lights dimmed. Congregants held small candles

which they lit one from another as the organ began the familiar

chords of Silent Night. Children awkwardly climbed out tothe aisles. Some kids hesitated, but as the older children cameforward, the younger ones followed. Most approached

solemnly, stopping to hand Godfrey a 3 x 5 card whichidentified the gift by number and listed what would be found

therein. The identification would help in the distribution.

Colorfully wrapped presents piled around, in front of, and

even under the manager. Slowly, the stream of gift-bearingchildren tapered off to a trickle. Godfrey scanned the pews to


7/9

PHLDMS1 4920363v.17

make sure no one was left out. He was about to conclude theservice with a prayer of blessing for the presents when he

heard a familiar voice.

Dint get mine yet!

Godfrey turned and saw Jacob wriggling from his mothersgrasp in the back pew. The congregation chuckles as the

pajamaed pastors son ran up the aisle to the front, completelyoblivious to all around him.

Godfrey tried to quietly deflect this distraction. Here,Jacob, hold my hand and well pray the Lord bless these

presents, okay?

Jacob moaned,Daddy, gotta bless mine too! Mine too!

He began tugging his father over to the crowded manger.

Godfrey was torn. The parent in him wanted to firmly

scold his boy and lecture him about paying the consequencesfor losing things. The pastor in him urged patience and

tolerance -- every childs wick is short at this time of year. Thepragmatist in him took the pastoral point of view -- it wouldnt

be consistent with the Spirit of the Season to yell at his kid atthe end of the worship service.

Godfrey looked out at the candle lit sanctuary. He feltembarrassed as he asked the assembly, Just a sec.

Then he yielded to Jacobs pull. Jake, remember what wetalked about at dinner? About losing your Bible Bank?

Godfrey spoke in a low voice, trying to keep the conversationbetween the two of them, forgetting that his every word was

picked up by the wireless microphone he wore around hisneck.

Jacob ignored him. He pushed some presents aside until hegot right next to the manger. Daddy, lookit, you forgot about

mine. Bless mine too.

Godfrey was confused. Then he saw where his son was

pointing. Nestled snugly in the mangers straw was a black

plastic box with the name Jacob painted in elementaryscrawl. Godfrey picked up the small receptacle. It was JakesBible Bank, surprisingly heavy with coins.

How did this get here? I thought you lost it.

I put it here this mornin, when you were downa office.

Godfrey tried to sort things out. Jacob hadnt misplaced hismoney at all. He and Tracy had been so fraught by the

pressures of the season that they had jumped to conclusionsand reprimanded their son without cause. He squatted down to

Jacobs level. Why did you put your bank in the manger,Jake?

The boy answered directly. Didnt know what Baby Jesuswanted, so I just give him everything. Is that okay, Daddy?

The microphone carried the explanation to thecongregation, about whom Godfrey had momentarily

forgotten. He felt his throat swell and his eyes water as hepicked up his son in a bear hug. Thats fine, son. Just fine.

Im proud of you.

With Jacob in his arms, Godfrey then adjourned the service

with a benediction. He carried his boy down the aisle and heldhim as members bid them a Merry Christmas on their way out

the door.

Later that night, at the midnight service, Rev. Swench

pushed his sermon notes aside and shared instead what he had


8/9

PHLDMS1 4920363v.18

learned just a few hours earlier. He spoke about how easy it is

to lose focus on the season, about losing perspective due to

work pressures and family schedules. And he told a story... a

story about little boy who didnt know what to give, so he laid

all he had at the foot of the manger. His message went a little

longer than he had planned, but afterwards, a number of people

said it was one of Rev. Swenchs best sermons all year.


9/9

PHLDMS1 4920363v.19

Documents

Last Gift at the Manger