a little jesus

This past Sunday, our Methodist friends from Mount Vernon were given a “little Jesus,” like the one pictured above. Pastor Betsy explained that “everybody needs a little Jesus.” I had seen these things online but had not really paid much attention to them.

When Betsy explained to me that she was going to hand them out in her worship service I thought, “Okay. Whatever. Another one of those weird things that Methodists do.”

But then I saw the reaction of her congregation on Sunday. People would walk through the door, and they were greeted with, “Good morning! Have a little Jesus.” They would immediately smile and put him in their pocket. As the service progressed, I noticed little Jesus’ popping up all over the place. They were on the table at the back of the sanctuary, sitting on top of Bibles and hymnals, and, of course, one was prominently displayed on the pulpit. The lady sitting in front of me had three of them sitting on the top of her pew looking at the pulpit.

When it came time for the Baptists to worship, I showed my little Jesus to one of our members and expected them to say, “Is this one of those Methodist things?” But instead, they said, “Oh, how cute!”

I’ve got my little Jesus sitting on my desk, and every time I look at him my heart is warmed. It is a subtle, gentle reminder that Jesus is with me. It’s true. We DO all need a little Jesus from time to time