It has been customary for hundreds of years now to celebrate the birth of Christ by setting up model nativity scenes. No doubt, you have seen them in all different shapes and sizes. You may not know, however, that this Christmas custom was introduced by St Francis of Assisi. St Francis was a wealthy merchant’s son who, in the early thirteenth century, gave up his wealth to live among the poor and preach the gospel. Because of his personal humility St Francis actually changed the way that people imagined Jesus. The dominant image of Christ in those days was Christ the King ruling over the nations in triumph. St Francis embodied the humility of Christ, particularly his willingness to suffer for us. The nativity scene was an important part of St Francis’s message to the poor because it depicts Christ in a stable with shepherds. Shepherds were the lowest class in both Jesus’ and St Francis’ time. The first paintings of nativity scenes in Christian art (apart from a faint catacomb painting from the early church period) were painted by Giotto around 1300 and were inspired by St Francis. I encourage you to look up Giotto’s nativity scenes. Giotto’s representation of an earthly and suffering Christ represents a revolution in Christian art. But the humility of Christ has always been a revolutionary part of the Christian message. God came to us, humbled himself, and even suffered and died for us. This should be the antidote to human pride. Give thanks today for what Jesus did for you!
Celebrate the gift of Jesus today!
Read Philippians 2:1-11
