Creche Scene

This past weekend, our parish hosted it's First Annual Christmas Creche Exhibit. We asked parishioners to bring their nativity scenes to the Hall one half hour before each of the weekend Masses and set them up using the tables that we had provided. After each of the Masses, our pastor and community blessed them. People were then free to take them home, or leave them for the display at other Masses. It was totally up to them. We also asked people to write a little story about their scene; where it came from, when they got it, that kind of thing. There was one set that was given to the couple as a wedding present in the 1960's, some from Mexico, Ecuador, Guatamala, etc.

Families walked through commenting on and looking at all the variety and beauty contained in these sometimes simple, sometimes elaborate sets.

This morning, I just received an e-mail from a mother in the parish. She said her 5th grade daughter was greatly inspired by this display and created her very own Creche scene out of clay. The family baked it and it will now become part of lasting Christmas memory. What a great activity for Christmas break! And what a lovely way to engage the family in the Christmas story. This scene features the Three Kings or Magi which are only part of Matthew's version of the Christmas story. This opens the door for a conversation about how the two Gospel writers (Matthew & Luke) tell the story of Jesus' birth. Families could read these two stories and ask children to talk about the differences and similarities and wonder about the details that are not told in the stories.

To follow this up, watch the film, The Nativity Story and discuss.