• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Building Faith

Building Faith

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • Who We Are
    • Our Writers
    • Author Guidelines
    • FAQs
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
  • ARTICLES
    • Articles by Topic
    • Most Recent Articles
  • EN ESPAÑOL
  • RESOURCES
    • Curriculum Center
    • Vacation Bible School
    • Webinars
    • Episcopal Teacher
    • Signs of Life
    • Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John
    • 5 Marks of Love
    • Growing a Rule of Life
    • It’s Time To…
  • SUPPORT US
  • Show Search
Hide Search
Home/Christmas/Crèche Sharing Across the Miles

Crèche Sharing Across the Miles

As many church buildings are closed and continue to offer worship over Zoom and other online platforms, we can still celebrate the birth of Christ throughout the twelve days of Christmas together.

Many congregations have a nativity crèche (a model or tableau representing the scene of Jesus Christ’s birth) displayed in their sanctuary or outside during the season of Christmas. Many homes also set up a crèche during Advent, leaving baby Jesus out of the scene until Christmas Day and placing the three Magi and their camels in other rooms of the house, slowly traveling closer each day until their arrival on Epiphany, January 6th. Angels and shepherds with their sheep often surround the scene with the donkey that accompanied Mary and Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem.

A Little Nativity History

Wooden figures from Godly Play Finland & brass backdrop from an antique shop in Maryland.

The earliest representation of the nativity can be seen in a fresco found in the catacombs of St. Priscilla, second century B.C.E., portraying the Mother and Child, the three wise men, and St. Joseph or perhaps the prophet Isaiah, and above, a star with eight points. The nativity of Jesus has been a major subject of Christian art since the fourth century with depictions based on the narratives in the Bible from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and further elaborated by written, oral, and artistic expressions. Tradition attributes the introduction of the nativity scene to the vast array of Christmas customs to St. Francis, who in 1223 in the village of Greccio* near Assisi on Christmas Day, (as told by St. Bonaventure) took a manger and filled it with hay, tied an ass and an ox near it, and with a crowd of people from all over the neighboring countryside celebrated the Mass (Holy Eucharist or Holy Communion) in front of the manger. Over time, statues, rather than living people and animals, were used, which eventually led to the in-home nativity scenes that are so much a part of our Christmas today.

Sharing Crèches

This year we can be creative in sharing our crèches.

  • Photos & Videos – Invite families and members of your congregation to take a picture of their nativity scene at home and/or ask them to record a story about where their figures came from and how they display them at home. You can also encourage members to take photos of where they see crèches displayed in public places as they walk through their neighborhood or drive around town. These photos and video stories can be emailed to an appointed “crèche coordinator” who can merge them into a slide presentation, movie with Christmas music, or share a few each day over your church’s social media platform. If your church has a traditional crèche with an interesting story, invite a long-standing member or leader to share that story in a recording to be included in your church’s collection of crèche stories.
  • Stories on Zoom – Another option is to gather together in real time over Zoom and invite individuals and families to share a favorite figure from their nativity scene by holding it up for all to see. Each can be a storyteller and share why they chose that particular person or creature as their favorite, perhaps telling the part it plays in the story of Jesus’ birth.
  • Set Up Outside – Even during this time of pandemic, we can set up, display, and share our outdoor nativity scenes or tabletop crèches. Each are visible reminders of Jesus’ birth even when we can’t gather together in-person. Nothing can keep us separated from Christ!

*Note: The word crèche is the French word for a manger, which comes from the Italian word greccio, the namesake of the legendary town visited by St. Francis.

Adapted from an activity in the Christmas chapter of Faithful Celebrations: Making Time for God from Advent through Epiphany edited by Sharon Ely Pearson (Church Publishing, 2018).

Featured Image: Ely Family Creche, a Christmas gift to my parents from my dad’s parents on their first Christmas in 1950.

About the Author

  • Sharon Ely Pearson

    Sharon Ely Pearson recently retired as Editor & Christian Formation Specialist with Church Publishing Incorporated (CPI) with 35+ years of experience in Christian formation on the local, judicatory, and church-wide level. Known for her knowledge of the variety of published curricula across the Church, she has also had her hand in the birthing of numerous books, including the best-seller, Call on Me: A Prayer Book for Young People and the 6-book series of Faithful Celebrations: Making Time for God. A graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary (2003) and a lifelong Episcopalian, she lives in Norwalk, Connecticut with her husband John, a 17.5 lb. cat named Shadow, and Chobe, a 7-year-old, tennis-ball-fetching, rescue black lab. They have two adult children (both teachers) and a 5-year-old granddaughter who is a budding environmental activist. Follow her at www.rowsofsharon.com.

    View all posts

Print PDF

December 9, 2020 By Sharon Ely Pearson

Filed Under: Advent, Advent Formation, Christmas, Christmas Formation Tagged With: activity, Advent, Christmas, Creche, intergenerational, nativity, online, scene, set

About Sharon Ely Pearson

Sharon Ely Pearson recently retired as Editor & Christian Formation Specialist with Church Publishing Incorporated (CPI) with 35+ years of experience in Christian formation on the local, judicatory, and church-wide level. Known for her knowledge of the variety of published curricula across the Church, she has also had her hand in the birthing of numerous books, including the best-seller, Call on Me: A Prayer Book for Young People and the 6-book series of Faithful Celebrations: Making Time for God. A graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary (2003) and a lifelong Episcopalian, she lives in Norwalk, Connecticut with her husband John, a 17.5 lb. cat named Shadow, and Chobe, a 7-year-old, tennis-ball-fetching, rescue black lab. They have two adult children (both teachers) and a 5-year-old granddaughter who is a budding environmental activist. Follow her at www.rowsofsharon.com.

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS

Subscribe to Building Faith

You’ll get new articles, plus free weekly updates in your inbox.

We respect your privacy. View our privacy policy here.

Search Our Site

Search by Topic

New Articles

Nine dogs in front of a pink wall

St. Francis Day Survival Guide: Practical Tips for Animal Blessings

Many churches and faith communities offer animal blessing ceremonies. A popular date for these …

Continue Reading about St. Francis Day Survival Guide: Practical Tips for Animal Blessings

Question "What does being Latinx mean to you?" with words in response on dark gray background

Hispanic, Latinx/Latine, and Indigenous Heritage Month Resources for 2023

September 15 - October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S. This month invites us to …

Continue Reading about Hispanic, Latinx/Latine, and Indigenous Heritage Month Resources for 2023

Godly Play story materials on circular rug

Drawing the Circle Wide: The Antiracist Work of Godly Play’s Equity Audit

As an educator, I live for the summer. I would say, “Don’t tell my students!” but they already know! …

Continue Reading about Drawing the Circle Wide: The Antiracist Work of Godly Play’s Equity Audit

Footer

Keep in Touch

  • Email
  • Facebook

Building Faith

Lifelong Learning, Virginia Theological Seminary
3737 Seminary Rd.
Alexandria, VA 22304

Copyright © 2023 · Building Faith · A Ministry of Virginia Theological Seminary

Design by Blue+Pine Creative, Inc.

Subscribe to Building Faith

Get articles and resources by email

Privacy Policy