Daily Advent Reflection & Creche Exhibit

“Journey to Bethlehem”
Creche Exhibit & Virtual Pilgrimage
December 7, 2025

Welcome to the St. Gregory's Episcopal Church virtual "Journey to Bethlehem". During these days of Advent, as we prepare our hearts for the arrival of Jesus, we will present creche scenes from various countries throughout the world. Our hope is to share the beautiful tapestry of cultural images of the Holy Family. We'll also share a brief explanation of the creche and a reflection taken from the Luther Seminary Advent Devotional entitled “Hark a thrilling voice is sounding”. Our hope is that this journey will be a blessing to you as you prepare your hearts to be the dwelling place of the Christ Child.

St. Gregory's is one of the parishes that form the Episcopal Church in Colorado. Our Bishop, Kym Lucas recently reminded us about the meaning of this wondrous season. She said "you are created in the image and likeness of God, and you are beloved of God. In our world where there is much to call us to question our worth, our value, where there is much that says that we’re not smart enough or we’re not pretty enough, or we’re not rich enough, or we’re not enough, know, that you are beloved. Your God loves you, treasures you, values you, wants you to have an abundant life, and we have that life when we realize, when we internalize, when we know in our spirit and in our very bones that we are beloved, not because we’ve had to earn that love, but because that love is gifted to us".

St. Francis of Assisi is credited with staging the first nativity scene in 1223 AD. According to his biography, St. Francis got permission from Pope Honorious III to set up a manger with hay and 2 live animals in a cave in the Italian village of Grecio. He wanted to do something “for the kindling of devotion” to the birth of Christ. He then invited the villagers to come and gaze upon the scene while he preached about “the babe in the manger”. This nativity scene, created by the Italian family, Fontanini, is testament to the origins of the modern day nativity scene. It also stands as an invitation to all of us to gaze upon this glorious event so that our hearts might be “kindled” for the love of Jesus.

The dreaded alarm. Even for morning people, there are times when we need to set an alarm to interrupt what we were doing and signal the start of something new. On Monday mornings, mine goes off at 4:30 a.m. I need to be at my local Y by 5:00 a.m. to instruct an early morning fitness class. And even though this has been my routine for over a decade, that 4:30 alarm still feels like a jarring sound—a “solemn warning,” as the hymnist puts it—that it’s time to rise. There are people depending on me to show up. As unpleasant as alarms can be, they serve a purpose: They get our attention. The Advent season works in much the same way. It invites us to stop, to pay attention, and to wake up to what God is doing around us. Where might God be calling you to shift your focus? To begin something new? Take time today to pause and listen. Let God’s Spirit awaken you from your slumber, for something new is breaking into the world—shining, even now, upon the morning skies.

Let us pray…God of morning—we ask that you remind us to pay attention today. Help us to see where you are active in our lives and what we must awaken from. Amen.