 | Christmas is in full swing and most everyone has finished decorating for the holidays. Every year the manger scene is displayed on lawns, greeting cards, in church sanctuaries, and on tree ornaments. Most often we see the Virgin Mary wearing a pretty blue headscarf lying softly over her lily-white gown. Joseph is a robust tall man wearing a beard and is holding a staff as he leans over Mary and the baby Jesus. The babe is wrapped in a soft white blanket with his arms and feet lifted in the air as his lips purse in a sweet knowing smile. Just like the song, Away in the Manger, farm animals are close at hand while shepherds kneel at the babe’s feet. To complete the scene is a winged angel resting loftily above and somewhere there is a star placed high in the sky that shines brightly over the whole scene. This scenario is something that most of us take for granted each year when we celebrate Christ’s birth. However, I think that this scene has been sanitized so much so we have lost the significance of what really happened on that very extraordinary night. |
RSS Feed