ACE, I JUST LOVE NATIVITY

SCENES, AND THIS ONE IN

FRONT OF US REMINDS ME SO

MUCH OF THE ONE WE HAD IN MY

HOUSE GROWING UP AS A

CHILD.

WHEN DO PEOPLE START

DISPLAYING NATIVITY SCENES?

THEY PROBABLY STARTED

MAKING CARVINGS IN 400 B.C.

BUT HE USED THEM AS

TEACHING TOOLS.

AND HE INCORPORATED LIVE

ACTORS.

AND HE BROUGHT THE MANGER

SCENE TO LIFE FOR THE VERY

FIRST TIME SO PEOPLE COULD

REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT

HAPPENED ON THAT FIRST

CHRISTMAS NIGHT.

NOW, THE NIGHT THAT JESUS

WAS BORN, WE KNOW HE WAS

BORN IN A MANGER.

HOW ACCURATE IS A NATIVITY

SCENE LIKE THIS ONE?

WE HONESTLY DON'T KNOW.

WE KNOW THERE HAD TO BE

ANIMALS BECAUSE THE CITY WAS

FULL AND PEOPLE BROUGHT THE

ANIMALS IN.

THEY WERE PROBABLY INSIDE

THE STABLE, AND NOT ON THE

OUTSIDE.

WE DO KNOW THE SHEPHERDS

ARRIVED.

AND WE KNOW THAT THE MAJI,

THE KINGS, DID NOT

COME TO

THE MAJOR.

EVEN THOUGH WE ALWAYS SEE

THEM.

THEY DID

NOT COME

TO THE

MANGER?

THEY CAME MANY MONTHS

LATER AND

VISITED MARY AND

JOSEPH AND SPENT THE NIGHT

WITH THEM.

SO WE KNOW THAT MOST OF THE

NATIVITY SCENES ARE NOT

ACCURATE.

BUT I DON'T THINK THAT IS AS

IMPORTANT THAN

TO

REALIZE

THAT PROBABLY MORE THAN

ANYTHING ELSE

THESE LITTLE

IN ANY

EVENTVITY SCENES PUT

THE FOCUS BACK ON THE REASON

FOR THE SEASON.

AND IT REALLY SHOWS US THAT

GOD CAME TO US AS A COMMON

MAN SO THAT WE COULD ALL

RELATE TO HIM.