St. Anne’s Episcopal Church
Tifton, Georgia
Isaiah 9:2-7 Luke 2:1-14
This may sound odd,
but one of the most important things
anyone ever said to me
when I was still training
to be a pastor was this:
“Honey, whatever that is you’re doin’,
you gotta put it down
and come hold this baby.”
“What?”
“Put it down,
and come hold this baby.”
I was a brand new chaplain-intern
at Children’s National Medical Center
in Washington, D.C.
I was all of 24 years old,
just two years out of college.
I had just arrived and been told
that the floor I would be covering
was the neonatal intensive care unit.
I knew nothing.
So there I was on my first day.
My starchy white shirt.
My coat and tie.
My shiny new plastic badge.
A clipboard in my hands
and a clueless expression on my face.
I had no idea what I was doing
as I stood watching those nurses
tending those babies
who were fighting for their very lives.
So, I did what any of us would do:
I tried my best
to look very busy
and very important.
By the way,
if you ever want to look
very busy and very important
just carry a clipboard
and flip the pages up and down
while you glance up and side to side.
As a wise man once said,
“60% of the time it works every time.”
But not on this nurse.
“Honey,” she said,
“whatever that is you’re doin’,
you gotta put it down
and come hold this baby.”
“What?”
“Put it down,
and come
hold
this
baby.”
Let the record show,
this nurse was no
Virgin Mary meek and mild.
Before I knew it,
she had physically
yanked the clipboard
from my hands,
spun me around by my shoulders,
popped me down into a rocking chair,
and placed somebody else’s baby
right into my arms.
“There,” she said.
“If you’re gonna be
that baby’s chaplain,
that’s what he needs you to do.”
“Uh okay,” I said,
“But what else am I supposed to do?”
“Nothing!” she said.
“There’s nothing else you can do.
You just hold him.
And love him,
And pray.”
Turns out,
she was right.
A huge part of how
I learned to be a pastor
was by holding babies
in a hospital wing
for an entire summer.
The thing is,
when you’re holding a baby,
there really isn’t much else
you can do.
Aw sure,
we’ve come up with
all kinds of ingenious ways
to try to get around that:
baby wraps,
baby slings,
Baby Björns.
In fact, when I later became a dad
I considered myself
the reigning champion
of holding the baby
while also unloading the dishwasher.
(But just because you can
doesn’t mean you should.)
It’s just true.
When you’re holding a baby,
there’s not much else you can do . . .
except just
hold it,
and love it,
and pray.
And honestly,
the baby can’t do
all that much
either.
The two of you
just sort of . . .
melt into one another.
You just sort of . . . exist . . . together.
So, maybe—just maybe—
that’s why you’re here tonight.
I don’t know your business.
I don’t know why
you think you’re here.
I don’t know what you think
drew you out,
got you dressed,
brought you to this place
under the cover of darkness
in the muggy midnight air
while all the “normal” people
are already home
fast asleep.
I don’t know
what you think it was,
but here’s what I can tell you:
I don’t think it was a Facebook ad;
I don’t think it was a personal invitation;
I don’t think it was tradition.
Whether you know it or not,
you have come here tonight
for one thing,
and one thing only.
You have come here
to hold the Baby.
Whether you know it or not,
he is the One
who has brought you here tonight,
and really,
there is nothing else
you can do.
You just hold him.
And love him,
And pray.
But be forewarned, my friends,
for a night like this
comes at great cost.
To hold this Baby—
this Jesus whom we proclaim tonight—
means you are going
to have to put
some things
down.
When you hold this Baby,
nothing else matters.
Everything else
falls away.
When you hold this Baby,
the warriors
must put down
their tramping boots
and all their garments
rolled in blood.
The oppressors
must put down
their rods.
The emperors
must put down
their censuses.
The shepherds
must put down
their staffs.
The judges
must put down
their gavels.
The bankers
their pencils.
The farmers
their plows.
The surgeons
their scalpels.
The journalists
their pens.
The scholars
their books.
The janitors
their brooms.
The interns
their clipboards.
The internet trolls
their keyboards.
The leaders
their egos.
When you and I hold this Baby—
when we hold this Jesus—
everything else must fall away:
our cell phones,
our distractions,
our ambitions,
our rights,
our wrongs,
our hurts,
our grievances . . .
our power.
“Whatever that is you’re doin’,
you gotta put it down
and come hold this baby.”
But here’s the final twist.
Here’s the insane grace of it all.
For all that you and I have to lay aside—
for all the power we have to let go
in order to hold this Baby—
the thing is (don’t you know?),
he has already gone first.
Yeah, you have to give up a lot
in order to hold a baby,
but think of how much more
you have to give up
in order to BE a baby.
He could have come
any way he wanted.
As a mighty warrior.
As a fearsome beast.
As a petty king
with swagger,
and prestige,
and power.
But instead,
this Baby—
this Jesus—
came like this.
Whatever it was he was doing,
he put it down
all those years ago
so he could come and rest
right there
next to your beating heart.
So, my friends,
what is it?
What is it
that you get to lay aside,
even if just for this one night?
The Creator of your soul
has put down everything he had,
because all he ever really wanted . . .
was just to be with you.
So whatever that is you’re doing,
put it down.
Come on.
Hold the Baby.
There’s nothing else
you can do.
You just hold him.
And love him.
And pray.
Amen.
Such a profound sermon.
Yes. And, wow. And now I am crying, and I have to stop.
Wow! You’re on top if it! You cut to the heart ❤️ of it; the soul of it! If you’re not touched by it then go back and read again and if necessary read again. For as the scripture and our baby born Savior teaches us, “Unless you become as a little child you cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven.” Have a blessed New Year and in His name go forth!
AMEN 😍.Thank YOU so very much. I’m HONORED THE BABY BROUGHT ME HERE AND NEED ME TO HOLD HIM. I SURE NEED HIM TO HOLD ME.GOD BLESS
This is priceless! One of the best I’ve read EVER! Thank you, Lonnie Lacey, for gifting us with this pearl!
What We Hold is Love. And you sure know how to show Love. Thank you.
Probably the most touching and important message I will ever read.
A wonderful and insightful way of bringing us around to where we should be.
Thank you so much for such a beautiful reminder. I have shared this with my friends and I pray it touches them the way it moved me. In peace.
This is so beautiful. Thank you.
Thank you from one pastor to another…one down in New Zealand! This is profound. We could use it at our next Christmas midnight service if that is all right.
Thanks John. Feel free to use next Christmas. Glad to meet you!
Pastor Lonnie,
Your sermon (reflection) touched me beyond words. I read it today on the Epiphany.
You are quite a “manifestation.” Thank you for sharing these words with us. If you don’t have a blog, please at least save it. You are definitely “book worthy.” Peace and much hope in the Newest of Years.
Linda Lehman
A deep, inspiring thought about “hold the baby”.
Please add me to your email list.
Thanks.
Thanks Rosemary. I don’t actually have an email list at this time, but this website is the spot where nearly all my sermons end up landing. Stop by any time.
Simply… thank you.
Very good words. Thank you.
profound! please add me to your email list
Thanks Judy. Unfortunately I don’t have an email list at this time, but feel free to stop by here any time. This is where all my sermons usually wind up.
Advice about holding a baby reminds me of the story of walking along the shore and looking back to see where footsteps from two turned into just one as He held me up.
Well done, I fancy myself a decent preacher and student of preaching and this is one of the most profound sermons I’ve ever had the pleasure to come across. Very well done.
Love this!
So very Touching
So proud to know you and so moved by this profound word! Thank you friend.
Thank you.
That moved me so much I cried. Thank you for reminding me of the “why”.
This is so amazing and beautiful, you make Jesus come alive in my very unworthy arms. Thank you Pastor!
Thank you, sir.
Going now to hold the Baby
Very good!
Thank you.
working on a Prayers of the People for worship tomorrow; trying to use your theme. This is wonderful!
This is incredible! Our great-granddaughter spent the first 105 days of her life in NICU, and being held was definitely one of the things that gave her the strength to survive. I am saving this.
Brought me to tears. One of the most touching pieces I have read ever!!! Thank you so much for putting it out there for us to enjoy, Very touching and makes one step back and think. Bless you Pastor.
There is nothing more important in this world.
Excellent!
I didn’t know I needed this. Thank you.
Lonnie – this is writing! This is loving and pastoral and struck a deep chord within my heart – thank you so much. Greetings in Christ – infant and Word – from New Zealand.
loved this so much
thank you for the insight and emotion to be return to presence
Very touching message I love it .it makes me feel closer to jesus.i would love to hold baby Jesus in my arms. He is already in my heart.
A Facebook friend I met several years ago sent this one to me tonight. She said it was profound and I must agree with her. I’ve been heavily burdened for the past 2 years by a bogus lawsuit instigated by my neighbor. It’s cost me nearly $20,000 and I’ve had to go back to work full time to pay for it. I’m 71 but in very good health. This really lifted my spirits and I hope it does yours too!
This was the best message I ever hope to hear. As a 75 year old grandmother I knew immediately what you were going to say and yet you expressed it perfectly and had me letting go and crying and becoming one with that baby in a way that I never had before. Thank you.
This is remarkably simple and truly beautiful. I especially like the fact a nurse, one of the worker bees in a hospital, was the one to point it out. All of us get lost in self-importance at times. This will help me refocus when I realize that about myself. Thank you.
Beautifully Expressed!! Loving Jesus is the only answer. I am a Great Grandmother of 6 Beautiful babies. I’ve held them all In my arms and prayed they would personally except Jesus as their Savior. It is a Blessing beyond words. Your words captured the reality and the emotions! Thank You!!
Thank you. What a loving, honest, and faithful Christmas sermon. John Merchant, priest in the Diocese of Atlanta (retired)
My starword this year was “worship”. Pondering what that would mean for me, an Associate Pastor who helps lead worship. Then I clicked on this. I’ll hold the baby. Thank you.
Thank you. I have been waiting for an Epiphany. So amazing that you gave it to me today. You have no idea what this blessing means to me. Thank you.
Beautifully written! Thank you so much!
So beautiful…
So much of Christian teachings lead skeptics like me to question whether anything about Jesus is really true. But: For Jesus to come as an infant given how helpless humans are at birth leads me to trust this ancient story. Man was expecting the Messiah to come in glory. And then to lead a sinless life and allow us to crucify him makes me doubt my doubting. Amen.
Well done. ☮️♥️🚋
I am a cuddler in the NICU unit at our local hospital. Your meditation was spot on about loving the babies and “melting” into them. So, so moving you moved me to tears. Then to connect to holding Baby Jesus; there are no words. Thank you!
So very touching, so insightful!
These words thrust the reality and joy of the birth of God’s Son right into my heart and soul. I put down my phone to hold Jesus. I want to go right out and give a needy, sad or lonely person the chance to hold Jesus. Maybe I can just hold that person while he or she holds Jesus. Thank you so very much!
I live in NC. I call friends and family honey. I was right there from the beginning.
Good Read
Thank you! My husband served 45 years as a Presbyterian Pastor. I know that finding new ways to approach well known texts, to open new insights into Easter, Christmas, Pentecost, other well known Christian events, means finding new ways to make them real, to make them LIVE. You did. Thanks…Gotta go hold the baby.
So, so Beautiful. Thank you.
Ah –
God bless that nurse!!
(Sincerely – your CPE supervisor!)
Kathleen!! I’m so happy to hear from you. I thought of you so many times while writing this and over the past many days. Hope you’re well. Thanks for being a huge part of how I learned to be a pastor.
Oh, yes!! I was so blessed!!! I used to volunteer at a neonatal intensive care unit in Augusta, GA!!!! I WAS SO BLESSED TO BE WITH THOSE BABIES!!!!! And I did LOTS of praying for them and their families.
You just hold him,
Love him,
And pray!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for sharing your wisdom and insight. God’s love shines through your writing!
I so, so needed this. The way that you chose to express it, uncorked a dam in my heart, that released a cascade of much needed tears of loss and grief. As a retired pastor’s wife, a nurse, a grandmother …. I was just swept up into His arms-beholding His face-allowing me to let go of all I was carrying to simply “hold the baby”. Because He is HOLDING all the dear ones that I can’t. Thank you for capturing the essence of Christmas with such simplicity and grace.
I needed this! I held one of my “babies” @ 45 years of age for the last time in September.
Cannot express in words how meaningful and beautiful your writing was, so just imagine my overflowing of heartfelt tears!
I am so thankful a friend posted this, and blessed me with “meeting” you! I look forward to reading more of your insightful writings!
Hi Pastor Lonnie, My dear wife found your Christmas Eve sermon on Facebook and I was moved deeply by it – as a physician with some experience in the NICU, as a father and grandfather, and as I Christian n need of a fresh perspective on Advent and Incarnation. I’ve typed it out (somewhat condensed in format) and shared it (very appreciatively!) with several friends so far – more to come. A truly profound joining of your experience, cosmic perspectives and practical theology, and that WAS the perfect training ground for a pastoral intern! So glad you met that Nurse those many years ago! So wise! So loving! And now – so needed by all of us today! Thank you, thank you!!!!
So very beautiful. Thank you for posting.
How often I pass through Tipton, GA. I’ve eaten really bad food at their Applebee’s and bitched because I couldn’t get a glass of wine to wash it down on a Sunday. I’ve made fun of their hundreds of billboards with mostly “we bare all”, “Are you going to heaven or hell?”, “Trump making America great again”, and those announcing “abortion in any form is murder” headlines. I’ve ridiculed the dozens of Georgia seatbelt signs that are clearly designed to look like confederate flags, and Tipton’s logo- a peach clearly designed to resemble something you’d find in a “we bare all” establishment. I was wrong about you Tipton. I’ve been reading Lonnie Lacy’s sermons intermittently all day and I am feeling better about Christianity than I have in a long time. Bravo St. Anne’s Episcopal Church for having such a rich and joyful outreach. I will stop by next time I’m through.
Haha, Amy this cracked me up. Thank you for your kind words. I promise there is SO much more to Tifton than the interstate shows. Stop by on your next visit through. We’ll show you where all the good restaurants are!
Beautiful, Profound. Such a simple message and so difficult for us to do.
Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. And I would add one thing that needs to be put down–let the abortionist put down his forceps, so there will BE a baby to hold.
What a beautiful message. The most impactful Christmas sermon I have ever heard. Bless you and thank you for sharing.
So pleased I discovered you, Fr. Lacy. This is the most beautiful Christmas sermon I have ever heard or read. It touched my heart and made me weep with joy,
I plan to follow you in the future…just live up the “road a piece” in McDonough, Ga. I hope to drive down to Tifton to meet you and hear one of your wonderful sermons in person soon.
Best regards,
Elizabeth Hayes
Thank you. Beautiful.
Crediting you, I took your profound metaphor and crafted a litany with it and used in lieu of sermon last week. Very meaningful for all of us. Thank you. As it’s yours, I’ll forward to you and you’d be wanting to make it yours entirely. While it diminishes the personal experience originating your insight, as a litany, it becomes deployable as a gift to the whole Church.
Some feedback not yet posted:
Some who have had life issues with childbearing expressed qualms and, I dare say, found the metaphor wounding – so in subsequent revision of the litany I added a framing to include those who have been troubled by this. The overwhelming positive of your fabulous work should yet allow you to see how the metaphor has another aspect.
I gasped in my soul when I heard, “I’ve never held a baby,” and all that I saw in the eyes of the speaker. Which also means, the deep and profound provocation of your sermon is even more important than even you might have meant. It all works for the good. Well done.
Thanks so much, Philip. I’d love to see the litany, and I’m extremely grateful for the added piece of feedback. Bless you brother.
A friend and colleague sent me a link to you… She said “This is you to a T!! This guy ‘reads’ like you, has wording and phraseology like you and a similar view of God and Godliness” I took a read. I must say she was right. Thanks my brother!
UM hello Jesus, I see you.
Lonnie,
Just read your sermon about “Hold the Baby” shared by Marsha White.
Loved it! Even more, loved remembering a young Lonnie Lacy at Reinhardt. So glad you’re doing well. Blessings to you!