A long time ago, a little boy named Brad drew these figures.
A coat of varnish and a lot of love have kept the colors bright.
Archive for Awc
Brad’s Nativity Scene
The Mark of the Beast
An interesting story about religious freedom in America came across my screen today. A federal court in Texas is deciding the case of a high school sophomore in San Antonio who refuses to wear a school ID that she claims is “the mark of the beast.” The evangelical student believes that ID card, which tracks students’ locations while on campus and is needed to buy lunch or check out library books, is a sign of submission to the Antichrist. The Northside Independent School District, which issued the IDs, receives federal funding based on the number of students who are in attendance each day. By locating students on campus but not in their seats when attendance is taken, the under-funded district will increase their revenues by about $1.5 million per year.
While there are many people around the country concerned that the RFID tags infringe on students’ privacy, for Andrea Hernandez the matter is one faith and religious freedom. Testifying in court today, Andrea’s father Steven Hernandez explained how important the matter is to the family. He said supporting the program “would compromise our salvation for NISD to make some money.”
The court will decide this week on Hernandez’ situation, but not on the RFID program as a whole.
Tea Light Nativity
for they shall be comforted
When death comes unexpectedly and tragically, our shaken minds can go to strange places. As I drove home from work on Friday, my heart ached and my mind went to the parents of the Connecticut victims. I found myself thinking, “They will have already bought Christmas presents. What will they do now? How can they bear to keep them? How can they bear to give them away?”
These are small questions, far down even the list of logistical problems that Death forces upon us when we are least able to deal with logistics. They’re unimportant amid all the huge, complex theological and societal questions that rise up after such useless violence. Just a feeling really. A sorrow that felt lost and wondered what to do.
I wish I had something wise to say about this ugliness that has burst into our Advent joy. I wish I did, but I don’t. It’s too close for me to trust words. All I have to share is some music that came to my wandering mind. It’s the first movement of Brahms’ German Requiem. The words are from Matthew 5:4 and Psalm 126:5-6
Selig sind, die da Leid tragen, denn sie sollen getröstet werden.
Die mit Tränen säen, werden mit Freuden ernten.
Sie gehen hin und weinen und tragen edlen Samen, und kommen mit Freuden und bringen ihre Garben.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
They that go out weeping, bearing precious seed, shall come again with rejoicing, bringing their sheaves.
In the original German:
And in translation:
Galapagos Nativity
A friend sent me this picture with the following explanation:
“It is from one of the Galapagos islands. Only a small percentage of the islands are inhabited and so much of the time we were in the midst of only vegetation and wildlife. Then we would get to an inhabited island and find a rich concentration of artisans on what amounts to a speck of land in the midst of the vast seas. Even the buildings were works of art. Unique beyond imagining. This came from a studio shop which featured some of the most beautiful carvings I have ever seen.”
Drugstore Nativity
Simple Nativity
Scenes from the Manger
On a recent visit to my parents’ home I pulled out the manger scene I played with as a child. That was what we called it then–not a Nativity or a Creche. It was a manger scene, complete with Mary and Joseph, Baby Jesus, a plastic donkey and a cow, sheep and their shepherd, three wise men with gifts, and an angel. The cardboard stable had (increasingly less) straw glued onto the roof, and there was a windup music box built in that played “Silent Night.” Over the years, I wound that music box many times, learning about springs and gears as the tune played slower and slower before finally winding down to a stop.
Ours was not a fancy nativity, but it was an important part of our Christmas preparation every year. We were not Nativity Purists at my house. We didn’t wait until Epiphany to place the wise men in the scene, and we ignored the historical accuracy issue by letting the wise men and the shepherd worship the Christ Child at the same time. Sort of a “more-the-merrier” approach I suppose, with the entire cast on stage at once.
It was important, I think, that the figures were plastic, because no one was ever afraid to let me play with this religious object. I could assemble the stable, arrange the characters in the Christmas story, wind the music box and let it play. I don’t remember ever making believe that the figures talked; it was a silent tableau except for the music.
Still, there are important considerations when you are a child arranging a manger scene. Mary and Joseph should be positioned where they can protect the baby. Everyone wants to be able to see Jesus, so the taller figures go in the back, and the shorter ones up front. The shepherds and wise men need to stand at a close, but respectful distance from the Holy Child–though sometimes a curious young lamb will come right up and peer into the manger. The cow and the donkey should stand together like old friends in the stable. And there must be an angel–preferably somewhere up high–to give the proper sense of mystery and holiness to the scene.
As I stretched out on the floor, the lesson I took from the plastic manger was that this was a Bible story for me. Jesus’ birth was the first Bible story I could inhabit in my imagination; experience with my hands, eyes, and ears. I could be eye-to-eye with these Bible people. Think about their relationships and express them in space. Come to know them in a way. Wait for their arrival every year.
During Advent I’ll be posting pictures of Nativities collected by friends and family over the years. If you have a creche or a story you’d like to share, let me know via email or in the comments section. Let’s get out the boxes, unwrap the tissue paper, and set up our manger scenes. It’s time for us to enter in.
