“Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff.” 1st Samuel 10:22 KJV

There is a humorous story in the Bible about the first king of Israel. Saul was chosen to be the king, but he didn’t really want the job. The people went to find him, but they couldn’t, so they asked the Lord. The Lord answered, “Behold, he hath hidden himself among the stuff.”

I imagine that some of us have had the experience of losing something in the Christmas stuff. It can be like looking for a “needle in a haystack.” Some who are reading this probably have stories of very valuable gifts being lost in the wrappings of Christmas.

The first king may have hidden among the stuff, but the King who was born on Christmas day did not. Yet, we could lose him in our harried life of keeping up with our stuff. The middle of December can get very hectic. We may not be able to change that, but we need not lose our focus.

Tomorrow is the second Sunday of Advent. Do not miss this opportunity to worship because you “Have so much to do.” I know that there are Children’s programs, Christmas dinners, choir, and a lot of other stuff to do. When the hour chimes, and we are called to worship, will the Lord find us gathered for worship, or somewhere among the scattered stuff?

These are some words about a misplaced shepherd in a nativity set. It is from a beautiful song, “A Shepherd’s Prayer, ‘Move me Closer.”

“As I stared at the hearth, I saw a strange sight,
Our nativity scene in the flickering light seemed almost alive!
How could this be? One lonely shepherd was calling to me,

It seems in the hustle and bustle of things,
In the wrapping of gifts and the building of swings,
In assembling his scene, I’d been a bit hurried,
And understandably so, he was a little bit worried

‘Move me closer, move me closer,
Move me closer to the Child.
Let me see Him, let me hold His hand,
Move me closer to the Child.”