| PigMom's |
| 24 Days of The Symbols of Christmas |
| Page 5 |
| 20) MANGER SCENE (manger) Legend says that St. Francis of Assisi created the first manger scene in his desire to have been present at the birth of Christ. We know that Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem. Many scholars believe that the stable may have been in an actual cave set into a hill. People of the Catholic faith first began the custom of setting up nativity scenes. The Pope always has a very special one in Rome each year. But now this custom is followed by Protestants also. Bible: Luke 2:6-7 Discuss: What kind of place were you born into? How do they compare to that of Jesus? What would you think about Jesus if he had been born in a palace? Why was he born in a stable? Sing: Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendor 21) ANGELS (angel) When Zechariah, John the Baptist�s father, was told by an angel that he would have a son, it had been 400 years (that we know of by Biblical accounts) since an angel had been seen by a human. Then an angel spoke to Mary, to the shepherds, and to Joseph and the wise men in dreams! Angels are servants and messengers of God. They are created creatures just as we are, but very different from us. It�s this uniqueness and mystery that attracts so many non-Christians to them because they seem to represent great power--to heal, to love, and to save. Today, angels are often put at the tops of Christmas trees, and in association with the Christmas story, are portrayed as singing their joyful news of Jesus� birth to the shepherds. Bible: Hebrews 13:1-2 Discuss: We must be very careful not to worship angels instead of the most high God who created them and ourselves. If angels do appear to have power and wisdom, they do so only by the power and decree of God. What is Hebrews 13:1-2 telling us to do? Can you think of someone in the Bible who "entertained" angels? (Abraham, Paul on the road to Damascus?, Peter in prison? Baalam and his donkey) Sing: It Came Upon the Midnight Clear 22) BABY IN THE MANGER (baby or manger) The picture and truth of God becoming actual man is an amazing thing. It was a fact that had been predicted in many different ways throughout the Old Testament. Bible: Isaiah 9:6-7 Discuss: Why do you think the Bible mentions the fact that the baby Jesus was laid in a manger? Why do you think it was necessary for God to become a man in order to save us? Sing: Silent Night 23) WISE MEN (crown) The magi were probably court astrologers, perhaps a kind of priest of a pagan religion that studied the stars and used the ideas of astrology to look for patterns, prophecies, and messages. We do not know with what kind of hearts they came to visit the new king--were they coming to worship God or did they usually go to visit any new king? There are many traditions about the wise men, but we do not know much about them. Western tradition says there were three magi (perhaps because of the three gifts mentioned), but people of the Orient favor the idea of twelve men. Through the years, the three magi have come to be named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar. People like to say that one had black skin, one was an old man, and one was a young man. They came to see a �paidion� or toddler, not an infant (�brephos�), indicating that some months may have elapsed after the birth of Jesus. They came from the East--one source says that ancient Media, Persia, Assyria, and Babylonia had a Magian priesthood at the time of Christ�s birth. Some believe that the gifts they brought were prophetic of Christ's life on earth: gold for His kingship, frankincense being a symbol of God being with us in the flesh, as incense was used in the worship of God, and myrhh for His death and burial, reminding us of his mortality. Bible: Proverbs 3:13-24 and Proverbs 9:10 Discuss: How can we grow wise? Why should we want to grow wise? Sing: We Three Kings 24) LAMBS (lamb) Lambs or sheep are almost always part of a manger scene because we like to assume the shepherds brought some of their sheep with them to the manger when they came to see the baby Jesus. We�ve already looked at some Bible verses that refer to ourselves as sheep with Jesus being our shepherd. But the Bible also often refers to Jesus as being THE Lamb, the sacrificial lamb. Until the time that Jesus died on the cross, the people had to sacrifice a perfect lamb to pay for their sins. The lamb took their punishment, and was a picture of what Jesus would do in His death. When Jesus died, He took the punishment for our sins once and for all, and now there are no more sacrifices of lambs. Jesus is the special Lamb of God. Bible: John 1:29 Discuss: Do you think that just killing a sheep would take away our sins? Is there anything we can DO to get rid of our sins and make ourselves good enough for God? What a merciful thing God has done for us, sending us His own son! Sing: See Amid the Winter�s Snow |
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