A Father’s Love at Christmas

Every December, I set out my nativity scenes — all dozen-plus of them — but this year — something sweet caught my eye. Nearly every set shows Mary looking tenderly at Jesus in the manger or holding Him close, as any new mother would. But among all the figures, one nativity stood out from the rest.

In that one, it wasn’t Mary holding Baby Jesus — it was Joseph.
Something in me stopped — stilled — softened.

A father holding the Son of God.
The carpenter embracing the Cornerstone.
A simple man holding the Savior of the world — with the same tenderness any new daddy feels when his child is placed into his arms for the very first time.

And suddenly, Joseph wasn’t just a nativity figurine.
He was every father who has loved a baby.

I thought about Tim Tebow recently holding his new baby girl — the way his whole face lit up like Christmas morning, the gentle awe, the protective tenderness. There’s something unmistakably holy about the way a father looks at his child. No fear. No hesitation. Just love — pure and poured out.

Maybe that’s why Joseph’s moment moved me so deeply.
Because our Heavenly Father loves us like that.
Not from a distance.
Not through glass or cold tradition.
But up close, warm, steady, strong.

Our Father doesn’t flinch when He holds us.
He isn’t bored.
He isn’t preoccupied.
He delights.

Just as Joseph held Jesus, and just as modern daddies beam at their babies, our Father holds us — boys, girls, young, old — not with favoritism, but with fullness. We are His, and He is ours.

And that’s part of the Christmas miracle we often overlook.
Yes, a Savior was born.
Yes, a Messiah came.
But He came to show us the Father’s heart — a heart so full of love that He wrapped Himself in flesh, placed Himself in a manger, and grew up to stretch His arms wide enough to gather the whole world in an everlasting embrace.

So this year, as I look at my nativity scenes — especially that one where Joseph holds Jesus — I’m reminded:

Christmas isn’t just about a baby in a manger.
It’s about a Father in heaven who loves His children more than we can imagine.

And oh, what a beautiful thing it is to be held by Him!