There’s something wonderful about seeing a little face wrapped in a blanket. I was once surprised with a Christmas puppy. All that peeked out from the soft towel was a pair of melt-your-heart brown eyes. I was a goner. For me, the best part of the Live Nativity is seeing one of our church infants wrapped snuggly in mother’s arms. Those bright eyes, all safe, greet any admirers from a cozy embrace. So I love these lines translated from a hymn that is a mere 17 centuries old:
O that birth forever blessèd,
When the virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving,
Bore the Savior of our race,
And the babe, the world’s Redeemer,
First revealed his sacred face—
The eternal Son of God showed his face in the infant Jesus. The great mystery behind and within everything let himself be seen through the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes. Mary and Joseph, then the shepherds, then the magi got to behold “his sacred face.” For centuries, people lived under the awe that no one can see God and live (Exodus 33:20). But on the first Christmas, God enacted a new covenant. A new deal. He showed himself in the flesh. Take all the tenderness an infant evokes in our hearts and multiply by eternity. This wee, frail bairn is he who set the stars in their courses! This is how the Great Unknown chooses to reveal himself to us!
“The Face We Pine to See” is our Advent theme this year. We’ll follow the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation on the deep human desire to relate to God personally and in the flesh. Our Advent Contemplation on December 14 will take us into deep consideration of this mystery. The Live Nativity, with new scenes added, as well as a petting zoo, will be performed in our Terrace Garden on December 5 at 5.30 and 6.30 pm. Christmas Eve is a Wednesday this year, and we’ll have our beautiful services at 11 am, 4 pm, and 6 pm. The Christmas offering for Gardere School and Christian Outreach begins December 14. What a joy to get to keep Christmas together!
