Fix Your Nativity Scenes, Folks!

Loads of houses have had their Christmas lighting and yard displays out since Halloween. I am no longer surprised, as I believe they use the store displays to determine when to begin laying out their decorations. I have to say that around my town, there are some really good-looking light lawn entertainment extravaganzas.

Thanks, Dad. [sniff] You taught me everything I know about exterior illumination.

One thing, however, about the majority of the displays I see really irritates me. One thing drives me to the point of insanity. One thing will bring about the apocalypse during this Advent season (Christmas season begins December 25 and lasts until Epiphany).

Do you know what it is?

Wait for it.

WISE MEN IN THE NATIVITY SCENE!!!!

"Oh, man, I know" you are probably saying. "What could be worse, right?" I hear you, brother. It gets me right between the eyes just like when people try to use a Greek Sigma (S sound) when they write the word "Greek" in a fake Greek font so it really spells "GRSSK". But I chalk that up to plain ignorance. Wise men at the Nativity NEVER HAPPENED.

Take your Bibles and turn to the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2. Start at verse 6. There you will see the Nativity.

⁶While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.

⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

So probably just animals here at this point, since they were in a cave/stall. No wise guys just yet. Read on.

⁸In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

¹⁰But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;

¹¹for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

¹²"This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

¹³And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
¹⁴"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

¹⁵When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us."

¹⁶So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

¹⁷When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.

¹⁸And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

¹⁹But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

²⁰The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

So shepherds were there. We can see shepherds in our Nativity Scene! Bonus! If you read further, you see the next scene is Jesus at the Temple as an 8 day old little boy. What about the wise men?

Look over in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 2.

¹Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

²"Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

AFTER JESUS WAS BORN! Okay. Let's read on.

⁷Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.

⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him."

⁹After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

¹¹After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

¹²And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

So Herod sends out the Magi (wise men) and they follow the star. Where did they find him? In the house? Not in a feeding trough. Not in a stable. Not in a cave. He was in a house. This was after the dedication of the boy Jesus at the Temple. This is the Feast of the Epiphany we celebrate. Not Christmas Day.

I'll not go into the theological implications of the visitation order here, but at least remember this. There were no wise men at the manger. Go right now to your yard and to your friends yard. Rip up the wise men and move them into the back yard or something. Then, on Christmas day, start moving them closer to the Holy Family a little bit each day until Epiphany. Or just don't have them in your scene at all. But for Pete's sake, pull them out of the scene so I can stop buying Tums. If you get arrested, just tell the officers you are trying to be historically accurate.