11 Dec, 2009
The Cost of Telling the Story
Competitive Britons Send Nativity Costs Soaring
LONDON (Reuters) – Gone are the days of shepherds in tea towels and tinsel-clad angels. Britain's competitive parents are forking out on luxury pashmina shawls and velour dressing gowns to make their child the star of the annual nativity play.
The rise in so-called "manger chic" has seen parents spend up to 150 pounds ($250) on arctic fur throws for children cast as sheep and ivory bridesmaid dresses for angels, according to department stores group Debenhams.
"The amount of money that some parents want to spend on their child's nativity play appearance would enable Baby Jesus to leave the stable and check into a five star hotel," said spokesman Ed Watson.
Intense competition for places at good schools, concern about the future state of the jobs market and a drop in handcraft skills like sewing among time-pressed parents appears to be to blame.
But Debenhams is keen not to encourage the trend. "While we applaud parents for wanting to do their very best for their children, we feel certain that the story of The Nativity can still be told using very simple materials," Watson said.
Story and Photo found at news.yahoo.com.
Luke 2
The Birth of Jesus Christ
1In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
What does God's Story teach us about telling His Story?
Did you catch that quote? The one about the "five star hotel"? Go back and read today's story again and look for it if you missed it ...
Compare that to today's God's Story. Basically, Mary wrapped Jesus up in a blaket. Nothing fancy. Just a simple cloth that was a common practice really.
Also take notice that in the entire account in God's Story of Jesus arrival, not once do we see Mary & Joseph sending out announcements.
The angels announced his birth.
A star announced his birth.
Even when Mary went to tell Elizabeth that she would carry the Son of God, it was Jesus who "leaped in her womb" to announce his own coming.
It appears that Mary & Josheph didn't really do anything to call attention to Jesus birth. God took care of making the news known. And He still works that way today.
- When you have opportunities to introduce your friends to Jesus, do you announce it on your own, or do you let God direct your words to the right "announcement" to make him known?
- Read through Luke 1-2 a few times this weekend and be reminded of how Jesus' arrival was made known.
- Ask God to make Himself known to you through his Word.
- Grab some friends and find a nativity scene somewhere in your community this weekend.
- Ask your friends what it would have been like to be in Bethlehem that night Jesus was born.
- Ask them how they would have announced his arrival.
- Compare their thoughts with how the announcements really went out.
- Allow this conversation to flow into a conversation about what Jesus' birth means for them today.
- May 2012 [14]
- April 2012 [19]
- March 2012 [21]
- February 2012 [19]
- January 2012 [18]
- December 2011 [20]
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- October 2011 [15]
- September 2011 [14]
- August 2011 [22]
- July 2011 [19]
- June 2011 [21]
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- March 2011 [21]
- February 2011 [20]
- January 2011 [21]
- December 2010 [21]
- November 2010 [21]
- October 2010 [21]
- September 2010 [22]
- August 2010 [21]
- July 2010 [22]
- June 2010 [20]
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- March 2010 [23]
- February 2010 [19]
- January 2010 [22]
- December 2009 [22]
- November 2009 [21]
- October 2009 [22]
- September 2009 [21]
- August 2009 [20]
- July 2009 [21]
- June 2009 [22]
- May 2009 [18]
- April 2009 [15]
- March 2009 [7]
- February 2009 [17]
- January 2009 [20]
- December 2008 [23]
- November 2008 [19]
- October 2008 [22]
- September 2008 [22]
- August 2008 [19]
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- June 2008 [11]
- May 2008 [19]
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- March 2008 [21]
- February 2008 [18]
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- December 2007 [18]
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- August 2007 [12]
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- June 2007 [9]
- May 2007 [11]
- April 2007 [10]
- March 2007 [11]
- February 2007 [14]
- January 2007 [7]
- December 2006 [4]
- November 2006 [13]
- October 2006 [17]
- September 2006 [11]
- August 2006 [16]
- July 2006 [10]
- June 2006 [3]
