The Crèche Prepares Us for Christ's First Advent based on Matthew 1:18-25

Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

During the Wednesdays of Advent we have been looking at different decorations this Christmas season that prepare us for the coming of Jesus the Christ. We have thought about evergreens and how they point us to the first and second comings of Jesus. Evergreens and Christmas trees remind us of how Jesus came into our world to give us true life and if we are alive for His second Advent Jesus will give us everlasting life. We have thought about lights and how they direct us to the first and second comings of Jesus. Christmas lights on trees and on houses remind us that Jesus came into our world to show us that He is the Light of the World and He came to defeat the darkness of sin and unbelief. Jesus will come again to our world visibly to show us that He is our everlasting light.

Today we will think about the crèche and how that helps to prepare us to celebrate the first advent of Jesus to our world. A cre’che is better known as a nativity scene. Like the Christmas decorations of evergreens, Christmas trees, and lights, the crèche was started in Europe. “The crèche is an explicitly Christian exhibition because it presents the characters involved in the birth of Christ, such as Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the Wise Men, and even the angels and stable animals. Our church has a nativity scene. Each of our three churches of the Tri-Parish has a nativity scene outside and inside the sanctuary. We use the crèche as a witness to our worshipers and to the community to define the real reason for this season. You may likewise display a crèche in your home or a nativity scene outside your house.

“The word crèche derives from Latin and means ‘nursery.’ Even today, it is the French word for a nursery or childcare center. In fact, in many European countries, it refers to a nursery school where infants and young children are cared for during the day while their parents are at work.

“The word crèche has thus been transferred from this context of baby care to the scene in which the greatest baby in history was attended to by His parents as well as shepherds and Wise Men. In America, the crèche is most associated with the biblical nativity scene in which figures are arranged to depict the event of Jesus’ birth.”

I will resist the temptation to compare our nativity scenes today and what the Bible does and does not say about the angels and shepherds and Wise Men who visited the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. The important thing is that Jesus was born in Bethlehem to a virgin named Mary. Jesus is the only child to be born of a virgin with no human father involved. He was given the name Jesus, because He came to save people from their sins and wrongs. He was called Immanuel also. Immanuel means “God with us.” Joseph was the husband of Mary, but not the father of Jesus. Matthew 1:18 tells us, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.”

Joseph was the one who took care of Mary and the baby Jesus. The Bible does not record any words spoken by Joseph. The Bible does let us know that Joseph had a great faith in the Lord because of his actions in response to angels speaking to him through dreams. Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem, so that Jesus would be born there as the Old Testament prophet, Micah prophesied long before that time. Joseph also took Mary and the infant Jesus to Egypt to escape the evil plan of King Herod to kill Jesus. Jesus then took Mary and Jesus to Nazareth. That town was called the hometown of Jesus.

“The crèche brings to mind the story of Christ’s first advent and bears witness to the true, historical event of His coming. This decoration reminds us that God came into the world in a very visible way. The advent of our Lord didn’t happen in a spiritual fantasy land but in real time among real people in this real creation. The apostle John affirms the reality of the incarnate Christ, stating, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life . . . that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:1, 3).”

“The crèche reveals that the Son of God was born in a very earthy setting. He was laid in a manger—an animal feeding trough. God entered this world as a small and helpless infant, dependent upon His mother for food and protection. The earthy picture of the crèche attests to the reality that Jesus is “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The humble setting displays the One “who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6–7).

“The crèche points us to the ongoing humiliation of Jesus for our salvation. There are some crèche displays that portray the nativity in a cave, which is authentic to where Jesus was probably born. But on the top of this model, a cross is implanted. This reminds us of the purpose and mission for which Christ was born: to save us from our sins and wrongs by dying on the cross.

“The passage from Philippians cited earlier goes on to state that God the Son became a human being in order to die for us: “And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). Jesus did not stay “away in a manger.” He grew up as a man who “was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. . . . But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:3, 5). Jesus came in humble circumstances to share our humanity and become the Savior of sinners. The crèche reminds us of His humble beginnings on earth.

“The classic animated holiday TV special ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ provides a scene in which Charlie Brown is exhausted and frustrated with all the hype and commercialism of the Christmas season. In exasperation, he wonders if anyone knows what Christmas is all about. All the other children are stunned by his outburst. But Linus says he knows what Christmas is all about and proceeds to narrate the story of the birth of Jesus from Luke 2 and to describe the scene depicted in the nativity.

“The crèche attests to what Christmas is all about. The crèche presents in visible and tangible form the characters and events of Jesus’ birth described by Matthew and Luke. The decoration of the nativity scene prepares us to celebrate the advent of the baby who was born to save His people from their sins and to save us from our sins and wrongs, too.” Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Note: Sections in quotes are taken from a sermon in the Every Heart Prepare series.