MEDITATION:
Written by Twyla Arant
One of my favorite Advent activities is unwrapping and setting out my Nativities. The weekend of Thanksgiving (usually ending with the first Sunday of Advent) is when the decorating begins, and the Nativity sets all need a special place. I have several sets collected over the years, including an outdoor set which saw its last display in 2020. After about 20 years, it simply fell apart. I hated to lose it, but it was a reminder that while things may be with us no longer, the memories remain.
My strongest memory of a Christmas Nativity is one I have had in my possession well over 20 years, and which I have never known Christmas without. It is made of what I call fabric mâché, with great big eyes on the faces, and nice color in the clothing. My parents acquired it their first Christmas, shortly before I was born. It sat on our living room coffee table every year, and for as long as I can remember, I would sit and look at all the details: the folds in Mary’s clothing, the hay beneath Baby Jesus, the staff in Joseph’s hand. No animals, no angel, no Wise Men. Just Jesus, His mother, and His earthly father. The basics of The Story.
SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 40:3-5
MUSIC VIDEO: Somewhere in My Memory
Written by John Williams and performed by the Twilite Orchestra in Jakarta, Indonesia
Pathways Press.com 