Ken Kyte, pastor, Cambridge Baptist Church.
Many churches in Cambridge and around the world set up a nativity set at Christmas time.
A typical nativity set includes the main characters of the nativity narrative: baby Jesus lying in a manger, Mary and Joseph, the Magi, the shepherds and an angel.
However, the Lutheran church in Bethlehem – Palestine, has broken with tradition because of the war that’s raging where Jesus was born.
When their pastor was interviewed about it, he explained that instead of lying in a manger, their nativity set had baby Jesus lying in the rubble. The magi and shepherds were searching for
Jesus as if trying to find him amongst the debris.
The reporter asked him, “Christmas is a season for celebration and hope, what hope is there?”
The pastor replied, “We have hope in our faith because Jesus was born among the suffering and oppressed. If Jesus was born today, he would be born among the rubble with those who are suffering.”
As we reflect on this untraditional nativity set, let’s pause to pray for those who are unable to celebrate Christmas because of their pain and suffering. Our source of hope is faith in a just God and solidarity with one another united in our pain.
