Only two days away, or one day depending upon how you celebrate the "Coming."
Inspired by a friend of mine who shared a sacred celebration at her church called "Stations of the Crib," I decided to write my own version for our family.
"Stations of the Crib" walks through the journey of the birth of Jesus as experienced through the characters in the story.
I decided to make it today's post in you would like to use it.
My plan is to have one person narrate and allow different people to read the scriptures and responses. We will mount the nativity scene together as we talk about each character.
Stations
of the Crib
First Station.
The Proclamation: Luke 1:26-28 Active, not passive, angels.
Thank
you Abba for the extraordinary call in the lives of your children. You choose the least likely and call
them to change the world. You send
angels with good news. May our
hearts and minds be prepared to receive your call and be witness to the spirit
world where the angels reside.
Let
us take hold of the words “You are highly favored.” All of God’s children are highly favored. That means you and me.
Second Station. Luke 1:29-38, Matthew 19-25. A man and a woman. Chosen.
The
young woman, Mary, faces her fears and says, “yes” to destiny. We are thankful for Mary who
lived by faith and trusted in the promise for a future she could not always see
with her physical eyes. Mary was
courageous.
Joseph would have liked to quietly cancel his plans to share a life with Mary until he dreamed the impossible dream and believed what was foretold.
May our lives be marked by acts of great courage and belief that defies reason.
May we not respond in fear when we do not have full understanding. Mary and Joseph point us toward love and belief in the midst of a challenging situation.
Third Station. Luke 2:1-7 A baby. Jesus. Immanuel.
A
journey, foreign lands and unexpected plans. Mary did not know all she would be called to do when
she said, “yes” to the angel.
Although faced with leaving the familiarity of home for strange lands and being homeless for the delivery of a baby she was told would be the son of the
Most High, she continued to say “yes.”
"For my ways are not your ways." Open our eyes and hearts to see when we are confronted with situations we may perceive as negative, it is quite possible we could be on the road to our greatest destiny! God resides in humble hearts. I believe the manger is a symbol of humility.
Fourth Station. Luke 2:8-20 Common Shepherds.
Confirmation
of the Shepherds. We notice
God continued to give Mary and Joseph encouragement through other people. One day the Shepherds came
visiting.
Thank
you for using strangers to bring encouragement and to be a witness to what you
are doing in our lives. May we be
open and hospitable to people from all walks of life.
Fifth Station. Matthew 2:1-12 Wise Men from the East.
Three very wise men from the East will not be thwarted by the plans of a jealous king. Three skilled astrologers out wit the ambitious Kind Herod
to pay tribute to the newborn king.
The story of the magi reveals how God uses all of creation to point us
toward himself. These three wise
men came from the East following signs in the skies, which indicated an
important king was to be born. They followed the stars all the way to the manger.
When
we come across opposition, help us to stay the course of the call and be
courageous and faithful to the very end.
Help us to see all the signs you provide through nature. May we not shrink in fear from signs you may provide which
do not seem to follow our modern day intellect. May we trust that
PEACE and JOY! COURAGE and BELIEF!
