The Nativity Scene

By Bishop Jeff Fleming

We celebrate the 800th Anniversary of the Nativity scene this Christmas. In 1223, St. Francis of Assisi desired to bring to life the memory of the babe born in Bethlehem. He directed that a crib be set up with hay, oxen, and donkey. There were no figurines, the Nativity scene was created and experienced by those who were present. Then the priest, at the manger, solemnly celebrated the Eucharist, showing the link between the incarnation of the Son of God and the Eucharist.

As we rush to prepare for Christmas, ask yourself, “How am I preparing for Christmas, the birth of our God?” A simple answer is to set up a Nativity scene in your home. (Don’t let this practice become lost or forgotten.) Invite family and friends, especially the children, to help. It really doesn’t matter how it is arranged, or even who gathers around the manger. Maybe Santa will make a visit, or Barbie, or Iron Man. What really matters is that it speaks to our lives, here and now. The Christmas créche speaks to us of the love of God, the God who became a child in order to make us know how close He is to every man, woman, and child, regardless of their condition.

Complete it on Christmas Eve by placing the baby Jesus in the manger.

The Nativity scene is an enchanting image that is so dear to us. It never ceases to bring amazement and wonder. It depicts the birth of Jesus simply and joyfully. As we contemplate the Christmas story, we are invited to enter into that story, we are drawn into the humility of the God who became man in order to encounter each man and woman, to encounter you. We realize that we are loved, we are loved, we loved. He became one of us, so that we might in turn become one with him.

Setting up the Nativity Scene in our homes helps us to relive the history of what took place in Bethlehem. The créche helps us imagine the scene. It touches our hearts and invites us to enter the story, not viewed as history, but as our living and real story, our reality.

The Nativity scene allows us and invites us to touch and feel the poverty and littleness that God’s Son took upon himself in the Incarnation. It invites us to follow him along the path of humility, poverty, and self-denial that leads from the manger to the cross. It invites us to meet Him and serve him by showing mercy to those of our brothers and sisters in greatest need.

Jesus came with no grandeur at all; just a poor child wrapped in swaddling clothes. This is where God is, in littleness. Littleness is the path He chose to draw near to us, to touch our hearts, to save us, to bring us back to what really matters. Standing before the crib, we see the child. The One who embraces the universe needs to be held in another’s arms. The One who created the sun needs to be warmed. The One who is ultimate tenderness, needs to be coddled. The One who is ultimate love, has a tiny heart that beats softly. The Bread of life needs to be fed. The Creator of the universe has no home.

Our God also comes into the world in our own littleness. When we feel weak, frail, inadequate, or messed up, he comes to us. If darkness is overwhelming you, if you feel surrounded by coldness and indifference, if you are hurt and feeling worthless and unlovable. God comes to you and tells you, “I love you just as you are. Your littleness doesn’t frighten me. I became little for you. To be your God, I became your brother. Do not be afraid of me. Find in me your greatness. I am with you. I am close to you, trust me and open your heart to me.”

The Nativity scene brings the Gospel to where we live: our homes, schools, work and meeting places, hospitals, retirement homes, prisons and into the public square. It is in these places that we are reminded that God did not remain invisible in heaven. He comes to us as a man, a child. The Nativity scene reminds us that God is with us; that God is always close. It helps us rediscover that God is real, concrete, alive, and vibrant. Our God is not a distant lord or detached judge; he is a humble love that descends upon us. The Child in the Nativity scene reaches out with open arms to embrace our humanity.

He knows the joys and worries of our hearts and homes. He knows where we wake up each day, where we eat and sleep. He knows the people who are dearest to us and their joys and struggles. He is the one who sustains our love. He is the one who gives our families the strength to carry on and to forgive one another.

The Nativity scene is timelier now, when every day throughout the world, we see so many images of violence, weapons, and destruction. Those images penetrate our eyes and hearts. The Nativity scene offers an image of peace. It invites us to slow down, to quiet our busy and frantic hearts. The crèche reminds us of the importance of pausing and contemplating. It invites us to be still and know our God; to remember that we are loved and that we are called to love.

It is my ultimate hope and prayer that by setting up your Nativity scene you will invite Jesus into your life in a new way. As you set up the créche, picture a door opening and you saying, “Come in, Jesus!” Open your heart, take stock with Him of the year that is ending, and share your hopes, apprehensions, and expectations of the new year. He is with you!