INSPIRASUNS

What a fun weekend! Over the past few days, I’ve shared little blogs about the Saturday community Christmas parade and our Christmas cookie Sunday. Well yesterday, in addition to cookie Sunday we had nativity Sunday. I’ll get to that in a moment.

Let me first ask, have you ever wondered about the nativity scene, you know the beautiful scenes we see in stores, or I’m sure you have your own, where did they first begin. Well, of course, the FIRST nativity scene was THE nativity 🙂 However, did you know that over eight hundred years ago, St. Francis of Assisi showed us the history of the first recorded nativity scene? He created his depiction to help children understand the true meaning of Christmas. St. Francis wanted to remind the world that the season was about more than just giving or receiving gifts, but that it was about celebrating the birth of a special baby. His depiction of the baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph was set up in a cave in Greccio, Italy, and was used to show the world that the spirit of Christmas was something to be treasured, not materialized.

If you’re like me you started your nativity scene with just a few figures. Each year we would pick up a new piece for the collection until now we have a beautiful set. Each year it is set up right in front of our tree.

Ok, back to Christmas cookie and nativity Sunday. Yesterday the kids at our church decorated Christmas cookies. Watching them pile on the frosting and the sprinkles and candies was so fun. Three-year-olds all the way to adults were hard at work.

After the cookie decorating the kids moved on to painting a nativity figure. Each year, the children of our church, starting as young as three, paint a small handmade wooden nativity figure, Mary or Joseph, a star, a donkey, a sheep, etc. Then on Christmas Eve, they will come forward at the 4:00pm service and place their figure under the Creche. Their figures are blessed and then they can take them home. Over the years as they continue to make the figures, by the time they are in sixth grade or so, they will have a full nativity set they can keep and treasure for the rest of their lives. What a wonderful memory and tradition for the kids.

You know me, I love traditions. Thanks for letting me share this one on this Monday morning friends. Enjoy your coffee and have an awesome day!

Matthew 2:1-2
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”