Did you set up a creche or nativity set yet? Today would be a good time, if it is not in place already. We also have a craft idea for making a small one from Popsicle sticks (or craft sticks), all the directions are found in one page.
The nativity is a way we we remember the Christmas story. sometimes there is a simple one like this with Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. They are in a small stable and a manger filled with straw is the baby’s bed. Sometimes it is a very large display with animals and many figures who were part of the account: shepherds, wise men, and an angel, of course. They all come to give honor to the new baby.
What do you think of when you see a Nativity set? In a small way it reminds all of us of the most important reason we celebrate Christmas: the coming of the Lord Jesus. We love the many other things that are a part of our holiday, but would any of them be more than a winter party if we didn’t remember the meaning of God’s message to us?
For God sent a most important message that season, which had many puzzle pieces of information over hundreds of years. It was a message about the sadness of Adam’s sin, of the fact that we do wrong things, that we lose what is important to us… and we need God’s help, forgiveness, and love when that happens. But the best part of the message is that God was sending a Savior, one who would make everything the way it should be for us and for the whole world.
That was Jesus.
Write a list of blessings you already have, instead of the list of things you want.
But the Christmas message is one that also tells us that God does things He promised in a very different way than we would imagine, and that is such an important clue which we see in the Nativity. Can you guess what reminds us of that?
Christmas is the time we tell the story, just like the Christmas Carol says: on the mountain, in the valley, wherever we go. People everywhere need this good news: Peace on earth, God and man reconciled, Joy to the World, Jesus is come!
Feature photo by Chrissie Padilla, MariposaChica
