Lessons from the Nativity | Sunday Reflection | 4th Sunday of Advent

I often find images helpful to me. The beautiful thing about images is that a good image captures something that is good, true, and beautiful into something concrete. And by looking at that concrete image, we can be brought into something that is good, true, and beautiful. In Advent, we have a very fitting image to look at.

We all likely have a creche or Nativity scene somewhere in our house. Without any words, the image of this scene speaks powerfully. We can thank St. Francis of Assisi for this beautiful tradition. He wanted to preach about the wonder of God’s love as we see it in the birth of Jesus Christ and because we are visual creatures, the image can help us. He first started with a live scene using real animals and people.

Needless to say, it became a popular tradition. In honor of this tradition, in the town of Greccio in Italy, where St. Francis had the first Nativity scene, there is a small museum of creches from all around the world in many different artistic styles. This goes to show us that God’s word and His love isn’t just something singular, but something that affects each and every one of us in our own particular contexts. So, let’s dive into it.

First, let’s start with the setting. Many creches that we see nowadays depict some sort of wooden stable or similar structure. While there might have been some wooden structures, the birth of Jesus actually happened in a cave. We all know the story - there was no room at the inn in Bethlehem, and so Mary and Joseph had to settle for whatever they could find.

For any parents, I would imagine you would think that a cave would not be the ideal setting to deliver your child. Not only was the cave unsanitary on its own, but the cave was used to keep livestock. Sheep, goats, cows, you name it. Of course, farm animals aren’t exactly clean either. Their own smell, bacteria, and waste would be filling the space of this cave. Who would ever want this for their child? And yet, that is exactly where God wanted His Son to be born.

The King of the Universe did not choose the richest place, or the center of civilization, but He chose a dirty cave in a backwater town in the Middle East. Why would He do that? For us. That’s how much He loves us. We could have the most broken lives, we could feel completely unworthy of love and that is exactly where God speaks to say - you are worthy, I want to be a part of your life and I want to call your heart my home.

Moving from the setting and the animals, we can look to some of the other elements. Some creches have a bright star, the Star of Bethlehem. Even though the birth of Jesus happened relatively quietly in a small town at the edge of society, it had eternal ramifications. Of course, we know that it signaled the beginning of our salvation. It was such an important event that it had a cosmological effect. Jesus is the bright light in the darkness. It signals to us that God does indeed know our pain and suffering and that He is answering our prayers. He will save us and bring us the joy that we are longing for. This star also served as a beacon for others. The three wise men, people who were not even Jewish, followed the star to see what it was all about. And it led them on Epiphany day to meet God in the flesh. People who did not even believe in God had a beautiful encounter with the living God because of that star. This shows us that the hope and light that God provides extends to all and affects every part of our lives, even the parts we may want to keep away from God.

You might find some angels in some creches. We know that angels are God’s messengers and they help serve God and help us to love God better. Angels are very powerful beings and God is in command of all of them. Whenever we see the appearance of an angel in Scripture, one of the first things they always have to say to the people who see them is, “Do not be afraid.” The message of God’s salvation was so big that not just one angel would do - a whole multitude appeared. And yet, these angels are all subject to this little baby child because this child is God. The whole multitude of angels humble themselves before this baby. These angels spoke to meager shepherds that Jesus was born. These shepherds became the first people besides Mary and Joseph to meet God - not the high priest, not the scribes, not the perfect, but these humble shepherds. This all shows us that God’s power is there not to harm us, but to love us by saving us and that this salvation is not something that is given to the highest in society, nor is it something that we can ever earn. This salvation is freely given and all can share in it. God doesn’t want us to be perfect to see Him, He just wants us to love Him and He will make us perfect.

We also have Jesus’s earthly parents - Joseph and Mary. Imagine both the great pains they experienced to get to this point and at the same time the great joy in the birth of Jesus. Joseph shows us what it means to be entrusted with a great responsibility and to rely on God through it all. He was tasked to be the earthly father of Jesus and to raise Him. His son is God and his wife is literally perfect (remember, she was freed from the stain of original sin). I imagine he would have felt extremely inadequate - and yet God called him. When God spoke, Joseph followed. He ended up taking his family and walking to Egypt, being in a foreign land for seven years, and then walking back. Mary shows us with it means to say “yes” to God. When the angel Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus and that Mary would be His mother, she gave her beautiful response of “let it be done to me according to thy word.” Her “fiat,” her “yes” shows us what perfect freedom looks like. Because she was free from original sin, she did not experience the slavery to sin that we experience. She had perfect freedom and she used that freedom in the way that it was given to us for - to give our “yes” to God. Saying “yes” to God always leads us to life. It will often be unexpected what that might look like - Mary certainly wouldn’t have imagined giving birth to her son in a cave - but it will be beautiful. She shows us what is possible for us - holiness. The two of them relied on God through this whole thing. And isn’t it amazing that those who needed God the most became the two to whom God entrusted Himself? They needed Him, and so God made it so that He needed them.

There is great beauty in how God’s light can shine in and through our brokenness and littleness. He chose to start little, so it is in our littleness that we begin the path to holiness. In the remaining days of Advent, we can draw closer into this mystery as it pertains to the circumstances of our lives. This great God wants to be born in us, in our hearts. Let’s prepare Him room to do so.