In Luke 2:12, the angels appear to the shepherds and announce Christ’s entrance into the world. But even though they make quite a scene in the heavens, they don’t expect the shepherds to simply take their word for it—they explain that they will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, and that this will be a cue to believe their message. Year after year—century after century—Christians have reenacted this moment to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Some parts of the story of Christmas can feel really hard to conceptualize. But if you’re a parent, the idea of being totally dumbstruck by the arrival of a newborn baby might be one of the easier-to-relate-to aspects of what happened that night in Roman-occupied Bethlehem. The arrival of any baby is earth-shaking. So of course, the arrival of humanity’s Savior would be a next-level thrill.
Perhaps that’s why “living nativity” scenes and church Christmas pageants have become an enduring way Christians celebrate the Christmas season. We see children dressed as angels, or shepherds, or “wise men,” and we are moved when we observe their innocence. And when we hear a chorus of reedy voices belting out “Angels We Have Heard on High,” the everyday holiness of raising our kids to choose Jesus feels less mundane and more mystical.
The church Christmas pageant tends to have its share of comical moments, too. There’s always that one fifth-grader who is as committed to their solo as they are tone deaf, or a 12-year-old would-be shepherd who is foregoing showers during the week of the show in an attempt at method acting. The toddler who has been drafted into service as the Christ child in the manger keeps wiggling out of teenage Mary’s grasp, the pastor’s son who is supposed to be handing out candy canes and hot chocolate is distracted by some youth group drama, and the serene nativity set is overrun by groups of people taking selfies.
Indeed, church productions during the Christmas season are a great reminder of what it looks like to celebrate God’s gift to us the best we can: earnestly, joyfully, and also, so very imperfectly.
Conversation starter: What was the most memorable Christmas pageant you’ve ever been to?