Good Friday Christmas Creche

Peter relates well with young people.

He wrote, “a few weeks before Christmas 2011, I brought some wood and art supplies and about six of us (five young people and Peter) went to work to make our own Crèche, which was on display at  St. John’s Church, Rockwood.

It has a few unique features …

--- lights and glitter because the children like that;

--- FIVE Jesus’ because all of the children wanted to make a Jesus;

--- one of the littlest children felt that if this is a story about God, then it should have lots of rainbows. I guess he remembered that from Noah’s Ark. I didn’t stop them; they were really involved in the Nativity story and expressed it the best way they knew how.

n      the oldest youth in the group wanted to have Jesus on the cross so that we wouldn’t forget that part of Jesus’ life. That is important too.”

Peter concluded that the children are my best teachers.

Jesus also taught and learned from children. He told us that we all must become as little children to enter God’s presence.

I call this Nativity Set – the CHRISTMAS-GOOD FRIDAY CRECHE, because it reminds us of the reasons why God entered our human lives - God came so that we might have life and have it more abundantly.

It also shows a connection between the gifts of the Christmas Magi and the Good Friday cross. The Magi’s gift of myrrh was given to someone who must die; the young Magi in Rockwood came to the same conclusion and wanted the cross included in the Bethlehem manger.

In 1993, I took our 1992 Christmas tree … cut off the limbs and made a cross from its trunk. That was my ‘Good Friday Christmas connection . I still have it.

Christmas leads to Lent … Lent to Good Friday … and Good Friday to Easter … Easter to eternity, all because – God so loved the world that God sent Jesus to save us all from sin and give us eternal life. No greater love!

So be it.