Manger mystery

Theft of Baby Jesus figure has touch of irony for local church

By Ed Nadolski

Editor in Chief

During his Christmas Day service at St. John’s Lutheran Church last month, the Rev. Kirk Lahmann spoke of another church that had the Baby Jesus stolen from its Nativity scene.

He preached that, while such symbols are treasured reminders of Christ’s birth, the true meaning of Christmas is a matter of faith that cannot be seen or touched.

“We certainly don’t need a statue of Jesus to know what’s important to us,” Lahmann said Tuesday.

Imagine, then, the sense of irony that washed over Lahmann two weeks later when he learned that his own church’s Baby Jesus figure was missing.

The theft was noticed Jan. 8 when church members were taking down the manger scene – complete with Mary, Joseph, angels, shepherds, Wise Men and animals … everything except Baby Jesus.

“It was just strange,” Lahmann said of the realization that his sermon on Christmas Day would hit so close to home.

He took to the pulpit again the following Sunday to tell his parishioners: “Guess what? Ours is stolen.”

And while Lahmann said he and his parishioners remain confident about their faith in Christ, they’d still like to have their Baby Jesus back.

The manger characters date back to the 1980s when the church moved from its former Pine Street location to the new building on Westridge Avenue. However, after roughly 30 years, the figures had become weathered and faded.

So, this past summer, members of the church refurbished the crèche by patching holes and hand painting the figures.

After the Baby Jesus went missing, a church official contacted the firm that sold it only to learn that line of figures has been out of production for years, according to Lahmann. That means they’ll have to search for a reasonable facsimile if the original isn’t recovered.

Lahmann said church officials reported the theft to city police, which recalled yet another irony.

Several weeks before the theft, a local police officer visited St. John’s to inquire whether the church’s Baby Jesus was missing. It seems they had recovered another infant Christ statue and were trying to find its rightful owner.

In St. John’s case, the Baby Jesus was specifically targeted by the thief – who cut the plastic zip ties that held Jesus in the manger. “Everything else was fine,” Lahmann said of the Nativity scene.

He said he didn’t even want to speculate on the motivation for the theft. “I can’t put my finger on it,” Lahmann said.

Like the story of the “Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” the members of St. John’s Lutheran Church realize the joy found in Christ’s birth is a matter of the faith and not one of material goods.

But Lahmann admits there is some sentimental value in the freshly painted figure and they’d like to have it back just the same.

“When I get the phone call from the police saying they’ve found our statue, I’ll let you know,” Lahmann told his parishioners at the Jan. 15 service. “But even if we can’t find our Jesus statue, we know where to find Jesus. In his word – that’s where he comes to us, that’s where he can be found, that’s where he wants to be found.”

 Anyone who has information regarding the theft is asked to call City of Burlington police at (262) 342-1100.