My kids participated in a Drive-By Nativity at our church this month. The opportunity wasn’t sought out or planned or even practiced.
We showed up in a dark parking lot, and I’m grateful and amazed at how God elevated our weekend experiences to a highlight of our Christmas season.
Because my daughter did so well playing Mary in her preschool class, she was asked to be an angel at the weekend event. High school girls took her under their wings (pun intended) and dressed her in a satiny white robe and sparkling halo. The sweet teens even added shimmer makeup to her face, the littlest angel reflecting the beauty of the older angels — all shining their light.
She stood on risers in between two teenage girls and tried to follow their joyous motions to “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” (it reminded me of Sister Act, and I couldn’t help dancing a bit).
Watching my daughter in her little angel costume — clap, sway, and fold her hands — was just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
My boys were inn keepers one week, then shepherds the following weeks. They wore earth-tone robes and head coverings, and even held staffs. To each car that passed by, my youngest said, “We must go to Bethlehem.”
Other volunteers filled the roles of inn keepers, market people, wise men, prophets, and of course, Mary and Joseph.
I took all this in from my position at the Advent Candles, where I told each car about our candle of the week and how we anticipate Jesus’ birth. Saying “Merry Christmas” countless times to people filled my heart with joy, indicating how much I’ve missed human interaction this year.
I’m grateful God used our Saturday evenings to focus our hearts on the true meaning of the season. And I wonder, how did He use the experience to plant eternal truths in the hearts of my children?
Being a shepherd.
Singing with the angels.
How will God continue to use the parts my kids played to teach them their part in His bigger story?
As He continues to show me too.
What about you?
Where do you see yourself in the Nativity?
- Maybe you relate to Mary — believing the promises of God, yet asking, “How can this happen?” And then, pondering His higher ways within your heart.
- Maybe you resonate with Joseph — troubled by unexpected circumstances, yet resolved to walk by faith — step by unforeseen step.
- Maybe you feel like a shepherd — just an ordinary person living your ordinary life, awed by your part in God’s extraordinary story.
- Maybe you are a bit like a Wise Man. You keep looking up to discover Hope in the darkness, knowing this Light is your guide for life.
There is a place for you at the manger.
Come and adore the newborn King who came for you.
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