SCENE:
Behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)

SYNTAX:
Faith.
Belief 
that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence

SONG:
Mary is kind, gentle and pure.
No thoughts of deceit, that’s why I chose her.
But, when she told me what she’d heard and seen,
the story was really too amazing to believe:
that God was going to send His Son
to be born of a woman, and she was the one?
Betrothed to be married, but now with child,
She would be accused, the baby reviled.

Then in a dream the angel came to me, too
with a message that all Mary said was true.
God’s only Son was growing in her womb
and I was blessed to raise Him as my own.
A carpenter by trade, a simple life to trod,
how can I be father to the Son of God?
I’ll make her my wife, the one you have given.
I’ll embrace this child of grace, this tiny view of heaven.

I’ll trust You to be faithful in spite of such a scandal.
I know you won’t give us more than we can handle.
Lord, I believe even though I can’t see.
Your word is enough, whatever the end will be.

SEARCH:
 Since my children were born, we’ve been on the continual mission of teaching them to obey.  As the boys are growing older, they are learning more and more about playing together, sharing, and taking turns–habits hard to master even for adults sometimes.  One of our challenges is to teach them to let Mommy and Daddy handle the moments of conflict, rather than giving in to whining, angry outbursts or tussling over toys.  The learning steps along the way reiterate how important fairness is, how important it is to carefully hold the wishes and desires of each child equally, and how easy it would be to instill jealousy and a competitive spirit without even realizing it.  I’m reminded that obedience is so much easier when you trust the one you’re asked to obey.

It’s amazing to think of how courageous Joseph was to accept the calling God had for him, taking on the challenge of a scandalous marriage and child–not to mention the daunting task of being a surrogate father to God’s son.  Although we don’t know much about him, he was obviously a man of action.  There was no wavering in his commitment to obey God.  We can see it in his willingness to take Mary as his wife after the angel’s visit, despite what I’m sure the “neighbors” would say.  The neighbors weren’t privy to an angel message.  Joseph was willing to have them think ill of him, to accuse him of wrong, to whisper behind his back.  His faith was so deep that he was willing to lose his reputation to obey.  He didn’t need to justify his own innocence.  He didn’t need to disavow the rumors.  He was able to trust that God’s path was leading somewhere worthy, no matter how incredulous it seemed.  It’s a stark contrast to the appearance-focused culture we live in, where every hint of opposition or unpopularity must be assuaged.  Where every out-of-vogue, politically incorrect gesture must be decried.  Where every decision must be weighed against the opinion of those speaking the loudest.  For Joseph, it was enough that God approved his task.

SCENE:
And Mary said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.  For He hath regarded the low estate of His hand-maiden.  For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.  For He that is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.  And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation.” (luke 1:46 – 50)

SYNTAX:
Humble.
marked by 
Meekness 
or modesty 
in behavior, 
attitude or spirit 

SONG:
How could You have chosen me, just a simple maiden,
to bring Your Son into a world sin and sorrow laden?
How can I hope to nurture and raise God’s Son?
How can such a human raise a perfect one?
The lips that spoke creation I must teach to speak.
The feet that walked on clouds I must teach to leap.
The mind that conceived salvation I will teach to read
the truth within scriptures You Yourself breathed.

To shape the life of God is an overwhelming task.
I know I am not worthy to accomplish what You ask.
I lay my soul before You, a vessel clean and empty.
Mold in me the mother You need me to be.

SEARCH:
When I think about the awesome responsibility God entrusted to Mary and the qualities He must have seen in her, it is easy to see why so many have revered her over the centuries.  Although I don’t agree that she should be worshipped as she is in some circles, her life and character rightly warrant a closer look. But, strangely enough, I think Mary would be the very last person to see herself as worthy of anyone’s adoration.  Her immediate response to the angel’s message was to acknowledge her own “lowly” state and expound on the glories of her God.  She seemed quite surprised that God had given her a second look, much less chosen her to raise His Son.  What qualities must this young girl have possessed for God to have selected her to train His Son, to nurture Him, to love Him and to show Him her God?  What confidence He must have had in her desire to serve, in her ability to love.  What can this girl from Galilee teach me about mothering as God desires?

© 2008 Haley Montgomery

SCENE:
And the angel came in unto her, and said, “Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee;  blessed art thou among women… And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus.”  (luke 1:28, 31-33)

SYNTAX:
Messenger.
an envoy, a prophet, a bearer of 
News 

SONG:
Wonder filled my face when His Highness gave the news
that I was to deliver, and my heart was quite confused.
He said He’d send His Son into a human’s womb
to be born upon the earth, and it would happen soon.
The Beloved would be leaving – an awesome revelation,
entrusted to this woman, just a mere creation.
The thoughts of the Omniscient I seldom can surmise,
but I always do His bidding, trusting He is wise.

Of the countless missions I’ve been given for His cause,
this one bears a sadness not seen since Eden’s loss.
His Highness calls it “love”, which no angel’s ever known.
The only ones that know it bear an image like His own.
This “love” has often grieved Him since that moment long ago.
But, somehow now His Son will enable it to grow.
This, a thought too lofty for angelic minds to see,
is the reason for my message to the one in Galilee.

Heaven holds a mystery, some enigmatic plan,
deep within Almighty that I don’t understand.
When You choose to send me, to go is my reply.
But, if I could be human, I know I’d ask You why.

SEARCH:
“things into which angels long to look” — I’ve always been fascinated by that verse in 1 Peter.  It reminds me that salvation is a plan designed for humans.  How gracious it was of God to create us with the ability to choose or reject Him.  It was at great personal cost to him, considering His powerful love for mankind.  How it must grieve Him to be rejected.

I’ve often wondered what angels think of humans and the plan God has to redeem us.  I’m sure they were baffled by man’s choice in Eden and equally as baffled by God’s choice to take on flesh.  I wonder from Gabriel’s perspective if the “good news” was really good from heaven’s side.  Although their view of God’s plan is somewhat veiled, their view of God Himself is unimpeded.  They must have missed the nearness of His presence on that Bethlehem night.

© 2008 Haley Montgomery

Come now, the curtain is about to recede
the backdrop poised in hope as you read
this simple re-telling, a story for the ages
may you, too, find yourself in these pages.

SYNTAX:
Nativity.
Birth, 
esp. the place, conditions, or circumstances of 
being born

Scene.
A picture or 
prospect as seen 
by a view; 
View

Song.
a melodious 
utterance, poetry, 
Verse, 
a lyric poem 
or ballad

“Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” (luke 2:15)

1st Day:  Song of the Messenger
Gabriel

2nd Day:  Song of Humility
Mary

3rd Day:  Song of Faith
Joseph

4th Day:  Song of the Crowded

5th Day:  Song of the Babe

6th Day:  Song of the Forgotten
Shepherds

7th Day:  Song in the Heavens

8th Day:  Song of His Brightness

9th Day:  Song of the Seekers
the Magi

10th Day:  Song of Wonder
Mary

11th Day:  Song of Fulfillment
Simeon

12th Day:  Lullaby for a Savior 

© 2008 Haley Montgomery

My mother has always made our house come alive at Christmas time.  Garlands ripe with “pretend” apples, candles of every variety, hand-made ornaments and wreaths, a collection of Santas we add to every year–we relished the fun of decorating the house.  Mama knows how to set the scene for celebration.

As a child, she helped me decorate my room with my own little Christmas trappings.  A green yarn wreath she made with a pink bow.  The little lighted village we displayed on my dresser, tiny plastic houses and a church strung together with lights and the glittery snow fabric she found to put it on.  There were tiny dime store plastic snowmen and santas, stockings, Hallmark wall decorations, and a few of the shiny decorative gift packages she used in our living room.  Most of those items have made their way into my own holiday decorating, ready for my children to enjoy.

I remember the first Christmas after my parents moved from the house I grew up in.  We had such a labor of love finding new places for all our holiday favorites.  Sure enough, everything found a “spot,” and a larger house and the adjustments of a changing family made room for new traditions and celebrations just as sweet.

One of the mainstays of our Christmas decorating has been my mother’s nativity scene.  I don’t know when or where she got it, but I’m sure she saved up and found just the one that could become a yearly treasure.  It includes all the usual characters in the renaissance attire so often seen in manger scenes.  The stable is woven together with wooden pieces and is just big enough for the Holy Family.  All the other attendees can politely wait outside.  Mama always encircled the collection with green garland lit with a small strand of white lights.   In the living room on the Duncan Phyfe table my grandmother gave her, the nativity scene was accompanied by one of Grandaddy’s old Bibles–opened to Luke 2 with a red ribbon marking the place.  Mama kept the small candle-light lamp that normally resided on the table beside it to light the verses.  I remember being so excited as she replaced the bulb with a red one for the holidays.  It was the kind of scene that prompted intent looks.

Now I have my own nativity scene, one that’s become a tradition in our house.  My Aunt Betty gave is to us, purchased in Gatlinburg, TN on one of our family vacations.  I display it on top of our piano with my own set of tiny white lights entwined with green garland.  The wood-cut look and aged colors of the design suits us, and I enjoy putting white ribbon, doves and pine cones in place to compliment it.  The set did not include an angel, so I choose several from my angel collection each year to sing praises over the babe.  My children are mostly enamored by the lights right now.  I can see the glow reflected in their excited eyes.  They haven’t really started bringing the figurines to life in their minds, but it’s coming.  I hope I can create the same feel of wonder and sacred celebration that my mother did.

Why does a simple manger scene inspire such wonder in a child and in me today?  The pristine, well-designed figurines in a nicely kept stall and the quiet, attentive animals are probably very unlike those who witnessed the actual night of Jesus’ birth.  But, there’s something special about looking into the faces of Mary,  Joseph and Baby Jesus.  There’s something familiar about turning the shepherds, the three wisemen and the animals so that everyone can get a good view of the tiny Savior.  I can hear the detractors, now.  The scene most certainly bears little resemblance to the manger audience 2000 years ago.  But somehow it moves us.

Perhaps the scene offers a tangible reminder of our God with us.  As we look into faces like our own, we see a God to whom we can relate–this God, who related to us on that foretold night in the most basic way.  He clothed himself in the flesh He had created and looked up into the eyes of men and women just like me.  Emmanuel.

Over the years, I’ve given Mama a collection of nativity scenes, some I’ve purchased and some I’ve created myself.  The first was a Native American version with Mary’s precious papoose painted in a Soutwestern blanket.  I purchased it on a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  My first hand-made version was made from pieces of wood branches painted to represent each character, the knots and bends of the wood mimicing bended knees.  Acorns gathered on the first trip to the Great Smoky Montains my (not quite) husband took with our family became another version with the wise men pulling their sleigh of seeds and pebbles to present to the tiny acorn King.  The Christmas after our wedding, I gave two scenes: one made from spools of thread and one made from tiny flower pots and leaves.  They represented Mama’s creativity in making her wedding dress into my own and my Dad’s labor of love in making the back yard grass finally grow for our reception.  The collection of poetry I’ll post in the days following is another nativity scene I created for Mama in the form of a hand-made book.

The “scenes” to come are snapshots of the nativity from the perspectives of those God ordained to view it.  They are depictions of how each participant experienced “God with us.”  And, yet, they are also my own perspectives.  I can relate to each one.  They are the ways God has revealed Himself to me (again in new ways) through the rich pageant of life experiences.  Perhaps they can inspire your perspectives as well. The scenes are presented in several parts:

SCENE —  The Biblical account
SYNTAX —  Words or themes
SONG —  A nativity perspective presented in verse
SEARCH —  Renewed soul-searching reflections

I invite you to come again and read each day leading to Christmas.  Celebrate the birth of Jesus.  Look intently into the face of the tiny Savior.  Wonder as Emmanuel draws near.  May God richly bless us with His presence again this Christmas season.