The Christmas Message As Told Through Nativity
Scenes from Around the World
A multimedia message for Christmas Eve/Day
by Rev. Frank Schaefer
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Saint
Francis of Assisi is credited with creating the first nativity scene in 1223 (a
"living" one) intending to cultivate the worship of Christ. The scene's
popularity inspired communities throughout Christendom to stage similar
pantomimes (1)
Living nativity scenes such as this one at St. Wojciech Church, Poland are
still popular today.
But very soon elaborate and ever more elaborate static
exhibitions were created with wax and ivory figurines garbed in rich fabrics set
against intricate landscapes. (2)
Even to this day, many towns or backyards feature life-size static nativity
scenes like this one in Chicago IL
Over time nativity sets became smaller and
were used indoors, often to be placed under the Christmas Tree. In various
regions of the world, different materials, different techniques and backgrounds
were used for the crafting of nativity scenes.
German Nativity Scene
This is a typical German Nativity Scene. You can tell,
because it looks a lot like a castle scene. Notice how baby Jesus is portrayed
with outstretched arms. This is symbolic of Baby Jesus blessing the people
around Him in the name of God. It also anticipates his eventual death at the
cross.
Congolese Nativity Figures
Congolese kings and shepherds
attend the Holy Family. Skilled carvers in Kinshasa, capital city of Congo,
crafted this 11-piece nativity set from locally grown wenge wood. Note that baby
Jesus resembles the shape of a loaf of bread; Jesus in his later ministry said
of himself: I am the bread that came from heaven, and in communion we receive
him through the bread that is broken as his body was broken for us.
Haitian Holy Family Nativity
Two Haitian angels bend low over
the Haitian Holy Family in this bright Caribbean wall hanging nativity. Artisans
make this nativity from painted cut metal. Notice the dove that is hovering
above the baby—the white dove is a popular Caribbean expression of the divinity
which coincides with the symbol of the dove representing the Holy Spirit in the
Christian tradition.
Gurung Nativity Manger
This nativity scene comes from the
Gurung people in Nepal's central hill region. Notice the little dog in the
bottom of the scene instead of the biblical oxen and donkey; dogs are honored
animals in Nepali culture as they are said to be guardians that protect humans
from the underworld.
This Peruvian portrayal of loving Mary and Joseph is not a
Snuggie commercial, but rather shows the holy family wrapped warmly in
traditional Peruvian clothing.
Isn’t it curious that baby Jesus looks a lot like the
people in whose country the nativity pieces were crafted?
There is nothing wrong with that, because the central
message of Christianity, indeed the central message of Christmas is that Jesus,
the son of God, became human, that he became like us.
And “us” looks different depending on where you are in the
world. Christmas is not about finding and identifying the Jesus of
history, Christmas is all about the Christ of our faith, about the word of God,
the logos, the wisdom of God upon which the very foundations of the universe was
built. That Word became flesh and blood, he became like every man, woman,
and child that every lived and ever will live anywhere in the world.
Besides the traditional barn nativity scenes, various
backgrounds have become popular. The nativity figures are placed into a new
setting, thus making a new theological statement and connection:
This charming nativity called
“las manos”, for instance, portrays the baby, the holy couple a shepherd and
even the animals in God’s protective hands. It expresses the belief in God’s
deliberate providence and his closeness to us on the night in which God became
human. God is especially active in creation as the Creator’s son becomes part of
the creation.
Wall Nativity Scene
The idea for this unusual background was inspired by the
wailing wall in Jerusalem (the remaining part of the supporting wall of the
temple ruins) When Jesus lived this temple was intact and still in use.
The ruined wall visible today emphasizes the tragic truth of Jesus' words:
“O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often have
I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her
wings, but you were not willing! Look, your house is left to you desolate. I
tell you, you will not see me again until you say, "Blessed is he who comes in
the name of the Lord.”
Street Nativity Scene
This nativity scene portrays the holy family among the
people on the road--perhaps in a dead end, or at the end of all ways. And here -
sometimes at night, if all is quiet - we meet the child,
for the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost on the highways and
byways.
Nativity Scene Of Time
When the time had fully come, God sent his son...
Galatians 4, 4
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot, . . .
Ecclesiastes 3,
1ff
And I continue with:
A time for Christmas trees and a time for Nativity Scenes,
a time for the child in the manger,
a time for the man on the cross,
a time for the risen one
and a time for all peoples. . .
And at the end of time:
people will look
to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel...
Isaiah 17, 7
He is Christ, the king, our Savior who came to save all—if
at all possible. The Angels, God’s messengers, proclaimed it to the
shepherds, ordinary working men, and the stars proclaimed it to the wise men in
the far East: a king was born, a new kind of king, a Savior of all humankind.
God’s messengers still proclaim the good news!
No matter where you are in the world, no matter where you
are in life, no matter how difficult your circumstances, no matter how hopeless
or lost you may be, no matter how many mistakes you have made in the past, none
of that matters as we witness the miracle of God with us on Christmas.
On Christmas Eve God proclaims to you and me: I, the God of
the Universe, have come to you, I have become one of you and I want you to
become one of my children.
On Christmas Eve God pleads with us, t accept his gift of
love and salvation,
On Christmas Eve, God offers to set our feet on the right
path, to give us new, real hope, On Christmas Eve God offers to change our
circumstances, and to give us life, even life everlasting. Amen.
- “Nativity Scene” Wikipedia
- ibid.
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