The Crèche

Originally Published in the South Jetty Newspaper

Growing up an in an Episcopalian family, I knew we wouldn't be decorating a tree or hanging Christmas lights until Janna's birthday. She is one of my sisters who's birthday is a week before Christmas. We waited relatively late in the season, compared to our neighbors, because we observed the season of Advent. Advent is the four weeks before Christmas and is about waiting and preparing for Christ's coming. One of the central Christmas symbols present in my childhood home home, once we finally dug out the Christmas boxes, was a crèche that sat on a table facing near our front door in the main hallway of our home. It was there for us to encounter daily in the Christmas season. I can remember the figures gathered around that manger holding the precious Christ Child. Joseph and Mary were there with the ass and ox. Shepherds looked on from outside. The Magi slowly made their journey across nearby furniture arriving to pay homage on January 6, Epiphany. (That's also my sister Gretchen's birthday, the day we would take down the tree.) 

Since then, I have seen nativity scenes from around the world. One of my professors displayed his collection of nativity figures from Uganda, Mexico, Northern Europe, New Zealand, Native America, and South Africa. They each reflected the indigenous peoples from their lands, and were creative expressions in local traditional medium. It is understandable that upon hearing the Gospel stories of Jesus' birth in any country or culture one would imagine Jesus and his family to look like a normal family looks where they happen to reside. Even more, to imagine a family fleeing as political refugees is a familiar tale around the world; Jesus was born into a familiar situation, one we can connect with, imagine, and reflect in our art, no matter where we happen to live. People in every corner of the planet can relate to the Holy Family's story, and recognize the hope of God being born "with us," or Emmanuel. 

The Crèche I grew up seeing in my home reflected my family's European ancestry even though we knew Jesus and his family were Middle Eastern Jews. While that contextual fact is important to understand the story, it is also important to allow our imaginations and creativity to help guide us into a deeper spiritual understanding. Children are great at this! One year my niece and nephew were visiting us around Christmas, and found acorn caps. They placed them on wine corks from my apartment so they looked like

they had on little hats. Next they cut up pieces of felt to decorate the corks, wrapping one in a tiny white felt swaddling cloth to create a whole nativity scene, with some of the figures sporting the acorn caps. Inspired by them, I focused my attention on trying to make a cow with toothpick legs and horns. 

Year after year, as I hear the story of Jesus' birth I hear a new thing in the story. I enjoy letting my imagination dance around inside the story as I consider what colors must have shone around the shepherds as the angels sang: Was it a flood of white light or rainbow colored halo? Maybe it was similar to the aurora borealis. However it happened, it was a powerful enough experience to make them go take a look at this stranger born in their vicinity. Our imaginations help tie the story to our hearts where it comes to life in the midst of our lives. 

I hope you are finding ways to creatively express the reality of Emmanuel: God with us. It is less important what date you put up a tree and unbox the Christmas decorations, and more important that it becomes a creative process, connecting you with the Christ Child. If you have children you might ask them for advice since they typically have healthy imaginations and are less restricted in their creative expression. See what you have around your home, or go collect shells from the beach to represent the Holy Family. Being creative is a gift from God and not just for experts. Creative expression is one of the ways God still shows up among us. God is not far off, but is right here, as close as a crèche set up in the hallway.