My Nativity Project (#1 - Introduction)

My Nativity Project: 
A Journey Through the Manger Scene 
in Sermon and Song 
(#1 - Introduction)

When my wife, Stacey, and I got married one of the things we received as a wedding gift was a nativity scene.  It was a collection of plastic people and animals that made up a representation of the birth of Jesus.  Each year we set up the scene someplace in our home.  We often set up two scenes since my understanding of the Christmas story (which is in line with the biblical/historical accounts) does not allow for the wisemen to be present with the shepherds at the manger.  I even made a stop action movie one holiday season depicting our wisemen on a journey across our house to the manger set to the soundtrack of Fatboy Slim's "Praise You."

Long gone is that nativity - replaced by a trio of nativity scenes from around the world.  Some of the scenes have wisemen and shepherds, and one African scene is just Mary, Joseph, and the Baby.  Gone too is the plastic.  Each of the new wave of manger scenes in our home is made from a natural substance - wood, banana leaves, and coconut shell.

This Christmas season I will again drop my persnickety persistence about the placement of the wisemen, this time to place that energy towards a series of reflections on the principle players in the nativity scene.  The form of this reflection take two parts.  The first part is a series of sermons I will be preparing and delivering at my home church (Crosspoint Community Church) December 6, 13, & 20.  Those messages will reflect on Zechariah (John the Baptist's dad), Mary, and The Shepherds (with the Angels).  The audio of those sermons will be posted to the blog the week after the message is delivered.  The remaining reflections will be short written reflections on other characters - Bethlehem, Joseph, the Wisemen, and Jesus himself - all tied to some of my favorite Christmas music from Low, The Killers and Vigilantes of Love.

I invite you to set up a nativity scene in your house (ours will go up today) and join me as I journey through that nativity over the next four weeks of Advent.