To Be Invited Into the Story [ADVENTures Two]

I have a thing about nativity scenes. I used to own quite a few. Over the past few years, as my illnesses have gotten worse and my children have gotten older and space in our house seems to have gotten smaller, I've let go of many of them. I now have three - one wooden puzzle type larger nativity set, one child-friendly set that I decided to set up this year, and a tiny one from my childhood that my sister and I used to play with endlessly. 

I remember laying almost under our Christmas tree as a chile, acting out the story of Jesus' birth with the tiny figures. We used to go to our grandparents house for Sunday dinner, and one year I begged my mom to let me bring the nativity scene. She was reluctant, as the pieces were quite small and could be easily lost. She found a little pink shoebox into which we placed Jesus, Joseph, Mary, the shepherds and sheep, all the other figures, and the manger. I felt so grown up, being given the responsibility of caring for what to me was the most precious of possessions.

The best thing about playing with a nativity set, for me, was that it invited me into the story. It transported me to that time and place. It helped me experience the story from the perspective of those involved. I was in awe of Mary, the young mother, who saw an angel, received his message, and gave birth to God. I wondered if the shepherds left the sheep in the fields or if they took them with them to see Jesus. I pondered what Joseph must be thinking through it all. 

To be invited into the story helped me grow in faith - and in my love for Christmas.