Today is the day! The day we drag our Christmas decorations out of their year round hiding place and begin to deck the halls! We don’t have a lot of decorations, but there are a few that are, in my opinion, essential to having a Christmas-ready house. What are your ‘must have’ decorations? Maybe you have a special Christmas wreath for your door or beads that you string delicately on your tree. Maybe you are the king or queen of tinsel and you make sure to scatter it on every empty surface (bless your heart). Or maybe you have that special, antique, hand-me-down tree topper to delicately place on your tree as the final touch. You probably even have your reasons for why these particular decorations are so special to you. For my family, the most coveted decorations are the tree (duh!), advent wreath, Christmas village, and nativity scene. These special decorations all have their place in our celebration of Christmas. But the most special, ‘must have’ Christmas decoration that we put up each year is our nativity scene. After all, you’ve heard this familiar saying as each December rolls around: “Jesus is the reason for the season.” The nativity scene stands as a physical reminder to us of the story of Jesus’ birth as told in the Bible. It focuses our heart on the real meaning of Christmas as often as we see it throughout the season.
The nativity is the fancy name that we have given to the scene of glass, plastic, ceramic or wooden figurines that witnessed and participated in the story of Jesus’ birth and early childhood. These figurines, placed among a stable, manger, animals, angels and a bright shining star, are all real live people whose stories are recorded in Scripture (Luke 1-2 and Matthew 1-2). Some of them we get to know by name and others are known only by their profession but, either way, they are significant people that had the God-given opportunity to participate in a world-changing, life-altering time in history.
Have you ever wondered why we call it a ‘Nativity’? The word Nativity is derived from the Latin word ‘natal’. This word means birth or origin. Both of these words insinuate the beginning of a story . . . more commonly referred to as an “origin story” (any Marvel fans out there?!). Even though the Nativity story is not the beginning of the whole story of the world, it is the start of the journey towards the establishment of the New Covenant which was initiated at Christ’s death and resurrection. Each of the people that are depicted in our nativity scenes: Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men all went on their own journey to arrive at Jesus’ side. They all went on a personal journey towards the realization of God’s plan finally, after thousands of years, coming to fruition through the tiny babe lying in the manger and crying at their feet. It has now been thousands of years since this silent and holy night. Sometimes we put up our nativity figurines and read the Christmas story and, because we have heard it so often, we become numb to the changed reality that we live in because of what happened here. We forget that Mary and Joseph have stories of their own, that the shepherds had names and that each of these nativity figurines were real and were on their own physical and spiritual journey with God which led them to the cradle on that holy night.
My hope for you, as you read this Advent reflection, is that this story of old will become real to you once again. That, through thinking on our personal God, you will be inspired by the individual and intimate ways that He met each person of the Nativity in and through this age-old story. In the end, I hope that you will be inspired and encouraged in God’s love for you and in your own personal journey with Jesus.
THE JOURNEY OF THE SHEPHERDS
An unnamed group of shepherds were gathered in a field, minding their own business and guarding their flock from harms way. Their job was often mundane and tonight was no exception . . . Or so they thought. They were expecting a night like every other night when, to their surprise, the sky lit up with angels glorifying God and sharing good news of great joy. The Messiah had been born! The angels told them exactly where to find Jesus: “You will find Him in swaddling cloth and lying in a manger.” And so they left their sheep in the field to search for the lamb of God.
What was so important about the journey of the shepherds? First of all, because of their location and occupation, the shepherds are known to be Hebrew. This means that, although their journey seemed to begin on that very night as they searched the stables in Bethlehem to find the baby in a manger, they had actually been on the journey with their ancestors for quite some time. So, even though it seemed as if the angels were inviting them into the beginning of a journey, they knew the prophecies of old and, just like every other Hebrew, had been waiting for the promised Messiah for thousands of years. Their journey wasn’t just beginning, there was some new, exciting and extremely important information being added after such a long time.
Second, the fact that they are shepherds in Bethlehem is incredibly important. Shepherds this close to Bethlehem were most likely raising unblemished sheep that could be used in sacrifices. The job of these particular shepherds would be to examine the sheep, find the lamb without defects, and then give this lamb to the priest to be sacrificed (Exodus 12:5). The shepherds would wrap the sacrificial lamb carefully in swaddling cloth and lie it in a manger to keep it from injury. It needed to be kept in perfect condition to be a pleasing sacrifice to God. What a strangely familiar proclamation given to them by the angels: “you will find him wrapped in swaddling cloth and lying in a manger.” To us this is such a strange place for baby Jesus to be born. But to the shepherds? The second they would have approached the manger to see the swaddled Christ child, they would have understood that Jesus, the unblemished lamb of God, was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. The journey of the shepherds was no accident. God was intentionally connecting a message meant for all, to the shepherds and their personal story. God carries the whole world in His hands, but even with so much going on He cares about every detail of YOUR life – no matter how big or small. As you set out your shepherds in the background of your nativity’s hustle and bustle, remember that, in the grand scheme of the big plan for the world, God cares deeply for you.
” . . . Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Luke 12:7
THE JOURNEY OF THE WISEMEN
An undisclosed number of ‘wise men’, who had studied ancient texts and were educated philosophers, began a journey of knowledge and faith, following a star that appeared in the sky. This star showed up, just like the Hebrew Scriptures had said (Numbers 24:17) and these men studied and tracked it to the location that it was pointing to. Although the timeline of Scripture suggests they didn’t show up on the night of Jesus’ birth but rather sometime in his first two years of life, they arrived just when they were supposed to. Each wise man had a different story, a different calling given by the Lord on their lives and had a different journey as they arrived at Jesus’ side.
What is most significant about the journey of the wise men? First, the gifts that they brought have major prophetic significance. They are not the gifts that you would typically see wrapped up at a baby shower. There were no diapers, bottles, clothes or plush toys. Rather, these men brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Although none of their gifts are considered ‘child safe’, they show us a part of who Jesus is and point directly towards why the Father had sent Him in the first place. First, Gold is typically affiliated with kings and royalty. The gift of gold was given to Jesus to show the world that He is the true King of the world . . . the King of Kings (take that, Herod!). Second, the gift of Frankincense, or ‘incense’ was often burned in the temple during worship and was even used in sacrifices. Frankincense is a pleasing aroma to the Lord and is burned to worship and honor Him (Leviticus 2:1-16). The wise men gave Jesus a jar of frankincense and this shows that they understood that He is worthy of their worship and is One with the Father in heaven. It could also symbolize Jesus’ role as the final High Priest, advocating on our behalf with the Spirit, before God. Lastly, Myrrh was given to Jesus to prophecy His eventual death. Myrrh is a fragrance that is embedded on dead bodies as a way to embalm and preserve them for burial. What a morbid gift to give to a child! However, this proclaims why Jesus came in a powerful way: born to die. It is no doubt that, even though these wise men were far from Bethlehem and had no Hebrew heritage, the Spirit of God had been inspiring them. Not only to take the journey to Jesus that they took, but also in the divine appointment of each of these baby gifts.
” . . . they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him.”
Matthew 2:11
Second, the journey of the wise men is important because of their background. Studies suggest that it is likely they were from Persia because of Matthew’s use of the word ‘magi’. This word derived from the Greek word magos which came from the Persian term for the description of the ‘job’ of a philosopher, astrologer, and/or priest. However, their background is just an assumption based on this fact. Wherever they came from we know this, they are not Jewish and yet they were invited to come see and worship Jesus. Is this not one of the many reasons that Jesus came? To open up the door of salvation to all!
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
Because of Jesus we are all invited into the Kingdom because the Kingdom of God is for all. The whole God Story was building up to this amazing news; salvation for all. And God, being completely and totally gracious, invited these Gentile wise men to kneel at the feet of Jesus and worship Him, just like the Jews had been invited to do for so many years before. Next time you set up your nativity and you pull out your three wise men bearing their gifts, remember that Jesus is for everyone and ask God this: Who should I be sharing the good news with in my life to help lead them forward on their journey with Jesus?
THE JOURNEY OF MARY AND JOSEPH
Put yourself in Mary and Joseph’s shoes for a moment. They are average, every day, Jewish people. They were engaged to be married, Joseph was establishing his career, and they would soon start a life and family together. Then one day everything changed. Mary was approached by the angel Gabriel and soon after became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit with Jesus – the Messiah. Inside of her she is carrying God Himself and even though she is a virgin, this miracle pregnancy looks suspicious to everyone else. They call her character and integrity into question. Although God’s plan for Mary is an ‘inconvenience’ to her own personal plan for her life, her immediate response was to praise. Why? Because Mary had faith to understand that God’s plan for her life is always better than any plan she could have made for her and Joseph.
“I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.”
Luke 1:38
Joseph’s soon-to-be-wife is pregnant . . . and it’s not his child! This puts him in an awkward situation. Yet the Bible says that he was a ‘righteous man’ (Matthew 1:19) and was going to divorce Mary quietly, which is a much gentler and kinder response than the law of the time suggested. The angel appears to him and tells him the whole story behind Mary’s pregnancy, and in faith and obedience to the Lord he takes her as his wife. Put yourself in this story for a moment. Imagine being Mary or Joseph and having the plans for your life completely derailed. To have your friends and family, not understanding the Truth behind your situation, whisper behind your back and lose respect for you. And while we don’t have any dialogue from Joseph in the Scriptures, we do know his response to the angel’s message to him:
“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.”
Matthew 1:24
Mary and Joseph, after a time of doubt and confusion, submitted to the Word and Will of the Lord and began a journey towards Joseph’s hometown of Bethlehem to enter in the census as required by Caesar Augustus. The moment that the angel had appeared to Mary and then Joseph to share the news of her immaculate pregnancy, their unexpected journey to the manger side began. Both Mary and Joseph were humble, faith-filled servants of the Lord. I am sure their journey raising Jesus was not easy – I mean, can you imagine being tasked as the mother and adoptive father of the King of Kings? We even see a bit of the struggle when they lose him in the ‘temple incident’ – the only story given to us of Jesus as a child (Luke 2:41-52). But no matter what happened in their life’s journey with the Lord, they submitted to God’s will and trusted His plan for their lives over their own. This faith stemmed from a trust in who they knew God to be and what He had promised to fulfill from days passed. We know that having the faith required to go through the life altering experience that they went through would have been difficult.
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!”
Luke 1:45
Next time you read the Christmas Story, ask God to give you perspective on Mary and Joseph and how much this amazing news altered their lives. Reflect on their faith and obedience. Do you trust God’s plan for your life over your own plan for your life? His plan for Mary and Joseph, although at times more difficult, resulted in a hundred times more blessings than they ever could have dreamed up for themselves.
YOUR JOURNEY WITH JESUS
Recently I had the privilege of having an awesome conversation with someone new at church. As this person and I were chatting, I asked them this question: What do you believe? They began to share with me what they believe about God, the Bible and the world. It was a great conversation! Afterwards I said: “Thanks for sharing that with me, but what do you believe about Jesus?” This new friend said: “You know, I have been regularly attending Christian churches for the last eight years or so, and not one person has ever asked me that question. Church people just assume that, because I show up to Church, that I believe the same things they do.” In fact, this friend told me that they aren’t sure that they can believe that one person died for the sins of all of the world. They told me that it’s ‘too good to be true’. They have many questions, but they are desiring to pursue God and they want to learn . . . to keep coming back to Church and engaging in community. This is where they are at on their journey with Jesus. I am praying for this new friend often, that they would know that Jesus is the only way to God and that He is the answer to everything. I am hoping that one day soon they will see and have the faith to believe what is True. Each of the people present in our nativity decoration sets have their own story. They were on their own personal walk with Jesus that led them each to the manger side. The people that we encounter daily are each on their own journey with Jesus too. From the cashier who scanned your groceries through this morning, to your neighbor who plays their music a little too loud on Friday nights, to the atheist friend you’ve known your whole life . . . they are all on their own personal journey with Jesus. God wants a personal relationship with each person in this world, but in the end they have a choice to accept the invitation to join Him on the journey and allow Jesus to be Lord of their lives or to reject it.
You see, the most important question we will all have to answer is the same question I asked my new friend: What do you believe about Jesus? Standing before the judgement seat of God after we have died is when the question will be asked for the final time and your answer will determine your destiny. However, each day of our lives we are unconsciously answering that question in many different ways . . . in our interactions with others, in what we think or say about God, and in how we choose to live our lives for Him. Does the way you’re living, what you’re thinking, and how you treat others say you believe in Jesus? What does your journey with Jesus look like right now? After all, it is all about Him. Doesn’t the Christmas season remind us of this precious Truth? Each year as December rolls around we get the privilege of remembering and participating in the celebration of Jesus’ birth again and again. We should evaluate our own journey with Jesus often. However, Christmas affords us a set aside time that we can collectively, as the Church, reflect on our personal journey with Jesus. A time where we can be reminded of His personal journey with each of us which all began to change on that silent night in that precious manger thousands of years ago.
Written by: Justine Joy
My Favorite Nativity Sets on Amazon
Are you looking for a Nativity set to add your collection of Christmas decorating? Look no further! I have posted my favorite Amazon ones below. It may be too late to order and receive it for this year, but putting up a Nativity is such a reflective and wonderful thing to have for years to come. If you have any other favorite – send them my way!
For Kids:
Nativity scenes are not just for the adults! Having a kid-friendly Nativity scene for your child(ren) to engage with during the holiday season will help them be reflective on Jesus and their personal relationship with Him as they play.
Merry Christmas everyone! From my family to yours. God bless!
Refined Joy 