In seeking to establish a family Christmas tradition, this year my wife and I purchased a few Christmas and Nativity scene kits from Playmobil. Every day from now until Christmas Eve we will reveal more pieces and characters for our scene, tell a little bit more of the Christmas story, read a short passage of scripture, sing a Christmas Carol, and maybe enjoy a treat or two. I share this as a resource to other parents, and as a fun way of connecting.
Today’s structure is from Playmobil kit #4884 and can be viewed/ordered here.
Today we added the stable, a place of refuge and yet far from what they would have wanted and far from the cute, romantic setting it is in our greeting cards. Our churches and families both serve as the messy, smelly, imperfect vessels through which our Christmas traditions and memories are delivered to us. God meets us where we are, despite our tidiness, despite our surroundings, and despite our company.
Day 6 – Zechariah 6: 12-13 & Micah 5: 2-4 (TNIV)
12 Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. 13 It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’
2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” 3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. 4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
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