Advent: The 25th Day … The Nativity
December 1st; 2nd ….. 8th; 9th; ….. 15th; 16th; ……. 24th; 25th
The nativity:
The birth of Jesus, The Nativity, is described in two of the New Testament gospels (Matthew & Luke) and is often displayed in model format in homes and churches around the world at Christmastime. The model in the image above uses ceramic characters, but other displays use a variety of styles, materials, and levels of realism.
A full nativity group will be in a stable/cow-shed setting because, as we read in Luke’s description (Ch 2 v7), “there was no room for them to stay in the Inn”, and will have Animals (especially sheep); Shepherds (as told in Luke’s story); Three wise men from the east carrying gifts (according to Matthew’s story); and of course, The Baby Jesus lying in a manger (a cattle feeding trough); plus his parents, Mary & Joseph. All these characters are in the scene above.
Some churches will hire local animals to give the scene a realistic feeling … like donkeys and chickens. I once saw the three wise men arriving in the church riding real camels during that church’s nativity presentation!
Note: The bible’s nativity stories never mention camels! … but with no public transport around at the time, I guess that camels came in handy!!
Churches throughout the world cover this story, via sermon messages and sometimes by physical re-enactments of the event, often using children to represent the key players … even sometimes, the animals in the stable (like cows, sheep, and oxen) are played by children.
My very favorite children’s nativity:
My very favorite children’s nativity re-enactment was played out by a group of children from St Paul’s Church Aukland, New Zealand. Titled: ‘The Christmas Story’, this nativity presentation was filmed in 2010 and the following YouTube video captures the presentation beautifully.
It shows the children acting out the nativity scene … as only children can!
It’s a joy to watch.
Before you watch it … essential background info:
You need to be aware of two aspects of the nativity story before you view this particular video, so that you don’t miss the subtleties amongst the children’s (sometimes chaotic) performance:
- Whilst Mary was heavily pregnant she was taken, by Joseph, to the town of Bethlehem from the town of Nazareth (Luke Chapter 2 verses 4&5), and popular tradition has it that she did this riding on a donkey.
- According to Matthew (Chapter 2 v11) the three men from the east (who in popular tradition are often called ‘kings’) presented the baby Jesus with gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.
So, look out for the donkey; and the three kings with the 3 gifts:
Hope you enjoy this it as much as I do.
My Full Advent series:
Advent Part 1: ‘The Prince of Peace is coming’
Advent Part 2: ‘What do you want for Christmas?’
Advent Part 3: ‘Is He Here Yet?’
Advent: The 25th Day … The Nativity (today’s article)
(The underlined links will open each article … Happy reading)
Happy Christmas and every good wish for 2023 … Fred
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“Advent: The 25th Day … The Nativity” by Fred: writer on Medium ***** © Fred Ogden 2022 ***** Thank you for reading … Hope you enjoyed the read.
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