{"id":13058,"date":"2020-12-10T22:56:01","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T05:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/gospel-express\/2020-godisinthemanger-copy\/"},"modified":"2020-12-10T23:08:36","modified_gmt":"2020-12-11T06:08:36","slug":"2020-changemind","status":"publish","type":"portfolio","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/gospel-express\/2020-changemind\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Changed My Mind on Nativity Scenes"},"content":{"rendered":"

by ALISTAIR BEGG<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I used to be dismissive of nativity scenes.\u00a0You know the sort\u2014the perfect arrangements of little figurines that start popping up in mall displays and outside churches this time of year.<\/p>\n

First, who can relate to this unrealistic depiction? Mary always looks remarkably unexhausted for someone who\u2019s just given birth, and the animals look surprisingly unbothered at\u00a0being kept from their feeding trough.<\/p>\n

Second, and worse, is the potential for trivializing what nativity displays aim to capture. Nativity displays often sentimentalize the scene, such that we think,\u00a0Ahh, that\u2019s sweet. I like Christmas<\/em>.\u00a0But there\u2019s nothing in it that arrests you. Nothing that sets you back on your heels. Nothing that says,\u00a0This moment changed everything. This night, heaven broke into earth. This was a night of glory and terror and pain and majesty and awe, all centered on the Son of God in human form taking his first breath, crying his first cry, invading earth to save his people<\/em>.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing in a nativity scene that really says,\u00a0Behold!<\/em><\/p>\n

So there was a\u00a0time\u00a0I\u00a0happily dismissed nativity scenes as unrealistic and trivial.<\/p>\n

But not any more.<\/p>\n

Offense, Apathy, and Awe<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve changed my views because our culture has changed. As society becomes increasingly secular,\u00a0it seems to me that just about\u00a0anything\u00a0<\/em>that ties Christmas back to the historical account of Jesus\u2019s birth provides an important point of connection. These small displays are an\u00a0opportunity for engagement and conversation between\u00a0those in our communities who celebrate nothing more than Santa and those who love the message of the Jesus\u2019s incarnation.<\/p>\n

In fact, I\u2019m always intrigued when someone is offended by the presence of a nativity scene. It\u2019s quite fascinating that people can be offended by a collection of miniature ecclesiastical characters. Why do people get upset? Perhaps it\u2019s because they recognize that what\u2019s being said in that small scene is challenging and even personal: \u201cThis happened, this is history,\u00a0there is a Jesus, and you have to deal with him one way or another.\u201d The person who gets annoyed by public nativity scenes is someone I want to have a conversation with.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The person who gets annoyed by public nativity scenes is someone I want to have a conversation with.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Actually, it may be that the people who most often miss the message of the nativity scene are Christians. How easy it is to rush through the whole Christmas experience\u2014the music in the mall, the services in your church, the presents in your house\u2014and be left with sweet sentiments but no real\u00a0worship in your heart.<\/p>\n

How easy it is to sing along to \u201cOnce in Royal David\u2019s City\u201d\u2014<\/p>\n

He came down to earth from heaven,
\nWho is God and Lord of all.<\/p>\n

\u2014and feel neither awe nor offense, but simply nothing much at all.<\/p>\n

My point is that it\u2019s not only non-Christians who trivialize Christmas.\u00a0It\u2019s us. The claims the Bible makes about the first Christmas are either fact\u00a0or fiction,\u00a0so they\u2019re either awesome\u00a0or offensive. They should move us to worship\u00a0or to resistance. But so often Christians seem to be pursuing a pristine Christmas experience that more reflects the store-bought nativity scene than the costly and messy account of the Bible.<\/p>\n

Perhaps those outside the church who feel threatened by nativity scenes understand the meaning of Christmas more than those in our churches who feel very little about them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Stop. Think. Talk.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So\u00a0when you see a nativity scene this Christmas, stop. Think. This really happened. God sent his Son. He really came. Of course\u00a0it didn\u2019t look quite like it\u2019s been portrayed, but it happened.<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t forget to\u00a0talk about it. How can\u00a0we say our culture doesn\u2019t care about Christmas like it used to\u00a0if we\u2019re too busy to have conversations about the eternity-changing nature of what we\u2019re so busy celebrating?<\/p>\n

This is why I don\u2019t dismiss nativity scenes anymore. I need all the bridges between the gospel and the culture that I can get. These little figurines can do a big work of reminding people that there\u2019s a God who loved this broken world so much that he sent\u00a0his Son into it.\u00a0As our neighbors are less familiar than ever with the biblical narrative of redemption, Christmas is about the only time when\u00a0they may give the good news of Jesus a passing thought.<\/p>\n

This Christmas, think about what this messy scene of God\u2019s grace means to you. Ask non-Christians and other friends what they make of the nativity in your neighborhood. Ask what they make of the baby at the center of it all, and tell them who he is to you. Seize the\u00a0opportunity to connect this pivotal historical moment\u00a0to today.<\/p>\n

So if a nativity scene helps you to share the gospel with someone this Christmas, or remember it yourself, then praise the Lord. Even if Mary really should look more tired.<\/p>\n

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