December 9, 2025

Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
Luke 2:8-11
 
“He’s missing! Where’s Jesus?!” Do you have nativity? Several? I’m a pastor, so I have some treasured nativities. One of the most dear to us was a large stuffed one from a former church member and school teacher. It’s durable, soft, and includes a camel and sheep. Our youngest son plays with it and imagines the journey of the characters. My very favorite is one in which the stable is a small hollowed coconut shell and little carved, brightly-painted stone characters from my trip to Haiti. It has more people and animals than most sets, including a half dozen shepherds and more than three Magi, of whom there’s no total in scripture. I set them all out in my office and home at Christmas and encourage the boys and our visitors to play with the sets.
 
The nativities we have are not based on photographs or first-hand accounts. There are no authentic stage directions with cast of characters, inventory of animals, or set clarifications about stone or wooden buildings. Any consistency really should be deeply doubted. They are all a product of our reading and interpretation of scripture and God-given imaginations. Really, any nativity should include a separate Egyptian dwelling or omit the Magi. Luke only mentions shepherds, and the Magi of Matthew entered a house and gave gifts to a child, probably several years later. I tend to set up our Magi at a distance from the rest of the nativity. And sometimes… pieces go missing.
 
Some years ago, my mother placed a glass nativity set on her entry table. The manger feed box was present, but empty. She couldn’t find the infant anywhere. “He’s missing!” We searched the house. And eventually, he was found. The glass manger was upside down. Jesus was built into the feed box, meant to be reversible, we think, to arrive at Christmas. Children will study a nativity. Where is the angel? The innkeeper? The Magi? And adults have a peculiar way of assuming what and who should be there. With very little familiarity with the Gospel stories and details or theological training, they will be oddly insistent of “how it should be.”
 
Perhaps you’ve read news stories - mostly clickbait and rage posts. People, churches, and organizations will place nativities that imagine the story in historical context or in our modern one. They’ll make the people accurately be of color and offend many western believers. They’ll leave only the animals and label it as free of immigrants, reminding us none of the characters were American, and that the magi and Holy family were migrants and refugees respectively. Each of these points to a truth. Nativities are holy because they help us draw closer to God and question a dark world that God sent a son to enlighten and change.
 
This Advent, I encourage you to imagine. Do you have a nativity? Play with it. Join a child in your life and help them learn and tell the story. Don’t have one? Pick a favorite. Make a Christmas present of it to yourself or family. Get one you love. Get one that’s sturdy. Play with it. Imagine the ancient story. Imagine it in Bethlehem, Egypt, in Charlotte or Chicago or your town. Who is there? Who isn’t? Who cannot be? How many Magi? Shepherds? Angels? Observe nativities around you. Imagine the story they are telling. Allow yourself to be challenged and encouraged in new ways. Christ is coming. Can you imagine?
 
Prayer
 
Lord, help me to not be afraid to receive new and unexpected good news and changes in the world. Help me imagine and love. Amen.