As Advent begins, families are assembling their Christmas Nativity scene to be displayed in the home during the Advent and Christmas seasons. Someone will be dispatched to fetch the boxes of Christmas decorations and sort out the tangled array of lights, ornaments and figures to be arranged. Many households have long-standing customs about how things should be positioned.
Some families may tussle over what figure should go where and when. In many homes the image of the baby Jesus is kept out of the Christmas creche until the appointed day. Other families prefer to complete the manger setting with the divine child from the moment the house is prepared for the festive holy days.
My mother always used the fireplace for the Bethlehem stable. In a Southern California home, there were few other practical uses for a fireplace. As young children, my siblings and I were perplexed and worried about posing any obstacle that might deter the awaited descent of Santa Claus down the chimney on Christmas Eve. My parents always deflected these tender consternations, reminding us that Jesus was more important. We were assured that Santa Claus was nimble enough to manage his yearly entrance with aerobatic ease.
Nativity scenes are unique to each home. Imaginations, customs and styles vary from house to house. The creches may be small and confined to a special place. Others are large, expansive, and fill entire rooms. The scene may only portray the simple setting of the figures of the Holy Family huddled around the manger crib. Some include whole villages twinkling with lights. The stable might be set in the middle of a representation of the town of Bethlehem or placed on the outskirts of these miniature villages.
The variations are endlessly playful and purposeful. The fun invites fascination. This seasonal curiosity leads minds, young and old, to contemplate that moment – long ago – when Mary and Joseph wandered through the streets of Bethlehem, shivering from the cold. Finding only closed doors on that fateful night, they stumbled upon a stable where Mary's womb began to stir with the birth pangs that would reverberate across the universe and throughout history as the fullness of God’s time came to be.
Our humble, homey arrangements mimic the grand, mysterious providence of the Father who chose to place on the diminutive blue orb of planet Earth the home where his beloved Son would make his dwelling. He chose not an imperial Roman fortress or a princely palace in the revered city of Jerusalem, but a rustic stable for animals, to be the sacred abode where Mary and Joseph would caress and cuddle the newborn King of the Universe.
Quietly prodding the course of human events, the invisible but mighty hand of God brought the devout couple to the hill country of Judea and the little town of Bethlehem. Angels orchestrated the unsuspecting band of shepherds to bumble their way toward the unbecoming nursery of eternal life. To each of these individuals, divine favor would provide a privileged place as the Father, along with all the heavenly hosts, rejoiced in that first Nativity scene arranged by divine delight.
We too have been chosen and placed by the wise and merciful hands of God to share in the joy of heaven’s amazing gift. Even our simple and festive recreations share in the persistent creative hand of God. The story of God’s salvation began in a particular place and time. This timeless story continues to unfold in the homes and neighborhoods where the heavenly Father has placed us, with those whom God has given us.
As we contemplate and cherish the Nativity scene, let us extend our gaze to those around us. We all are part of a much larger Christmas creche, sharing the company of Joseph, Mary, and the shepherds. The Blessed Virgin Mother welcomes us to lower our sights and bend our knees so that we may more closely see the radiant splendor of Christ. He has already chosen to be near and dear to those whom he loves.
In every celebration of the Lord’s sacrifice of the Mass, each of us also has our place in the endless sacramental Epiphany. We lovingly adore the One who has loved us first (cf. I Jn 4:19). The sacred ritual traditions of the Eucharist are charged with the mysterious hands of God, positioning us close to the Incarnate Mystery. In the eucharistic prayer the priest prayerfully proclaims the humble sentiments of all believers, “You have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you.” (Eucharistic Prayer II) God the Father has held us and placed us in the awesome presence of his beloved Son. “O, come let us adore him. O, come let us adore him, Christ the Lord!” (Christmas Carol: O Come All Ye Faithful)