Ok,
it's Christmas, right?
Christmas is the time we celebrate the birth of Christ. He was
born in Bethlehem in a stable. His parents, Mary and Joseph laid
him in a manger. He is the son of God. The birth of this child
means something to all humanity.
So why I am so confused by my experiences of the past week?
I teach 1st graders in Sunday School. The past couple of years I
have given each child a small nativity set for a Christmas
present. The kids like having their own nativity set. Parents
have told me how much their children have enjoyed setting it up
and telling the Christmas story. So, I want to keep giving these
as gifts.
In the past I found inexpensive
sets in discount or craft stores. Not this year. I have been to
several stores and have had no luck. There are plenty of
snowmen, santas, reindeer, etc.
The response, "A what?"
I repeat my request.
A confused clerk looks puzzled: ' I don't know what that is,
ma'am.'
I explain: ' It's a little stable with Mary, Joseph and the
baby Jesus.'
The clerk hollers to someone else: 'Do we have -- what did you
call it, ma'am?'
I say for the third time: 'A Nativity set.'
The response comes from across the store: 'No.'
This similar experience happened at three different stores.
What I have trouble understanding is how do adults who were
raised in this country not know what a nativity set is? If
they were educated in America, wouldn't they know who Jesus
is and that he was born of the Virgin Mary after she and
Joseph took a long donkey ride to Bethlehem?'
There was no room in the inn and his birth took place in a
stable where he was laid in a manger. What's happening to
us? Are we so preoccupied with keeping religion out of the
public schools that we skip a major event in history?
I must admit I am worried about this lack of awareness of
the origin of Christmas. We have no problem celebrating this
day with all kinds of material goods. We talk about love,
peace and joy. We sing carols about the Christ child, but do
we know the whole story?
This experience has convinced me all the more
that we need prayer for our country.