After eleven months of hiding in our little storage shed, affectionately known as “the Cottage,” our collection of Christmas storage bins finally saw daylight as Dennis and I carried them up the hill and up the back steps and into the house. Taking off the lids always reveals various surprises when I find ornaments I’d forgotten we had or discover lights that don’t work which requires a trip to buy more before I can finish hanging the garland over the front door.
Bringing out the sparkly shiny ornaments and garland adds a sense of expectancy and anticipation to this season which is generally loved by so many. But there is one element of our annual celebration that should not be hidden away in storage, but left out all year long. And that is the nativity. In fact, this year, I had mine out before the boxes marched in the back door. My nativity is on display and has been for a month since it first arrived at our office from its production. And it will stay out all year long. Not just because it is beautiful but because it’s message is one I need every day of my life.
On the backdrop behind the figures are words of wonder and power; “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us….” “and He is the image of the invisible God,….” “in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” My life like yours gets so crazy busy, so full of worries and concerns that I forget the stunning truth that Christmas came to tell. And because I need that reminder every day of the year, my nativity with it’s story will not be packed away in a storage box. I hope as it sees the light of day in my home that its message will bring light to my life. It is why Christmas came near.
I hope that you will love this nativity as much as we do, that its transcendent truth will speak to you day after day. So bring it home and find it a prominent place and may His words make Christmas last forever in your heart.