Mary in the Nativity Scene

Homily for Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God
Numbers 6.22-27 Psalm 67 Galatians 4.4-7 Luke 2.16-21
If you have had a chance to take a good look at our church Nativity set this year, you may have noticed that there is a new figure. For each of the past two years, we have been able to add a new piece to this beautiful set. Last year, we added a woman named Rachel, who is carrying a basket of fruit. This year, we added a woman named Judith, who is carrying water jugs. Just about everyone who has seen and noticed these new figures has had the same response: “I don’t remember Rachel or Judith from the Christmas story; where did they come from?” Of course, you won’t find either of these two women mentioned in the stories of the birth of Jesus in the Bible. These particular figures are a creation of the company that makes these Nativity scenes. I like to think of them as coming along with the shepherds – the shepherds we do hear about in Scripture certainly must have had family or friends who may have accompanied them to the manger. Or, perhaps, they are among the other residents of Bethlehem who heard the shepherds’ news that the Messiah had been born. If nothing else, these extra figures are a reminder that the birth of Jesus was not an event just for the few people who are mentioned in the Bible as having been there. The birth of Jesus was meant for all humanity, and Rachel and Judith can remind us of that.

But there’s another side to the story of our parish Nativity scene. We could very easily take Rachel and Judith away from the scene – and it would still be complete. We could even take away the shepherd boy and his sheep, the donkey and the cow, the magi and their camel, and even the angel – and left with just Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, the scene would still be complete. The Holy Family is still the Holy Family, even without the animals, shepherds, and magi surrounding them. But we could go even further. If we take Joseph out of the scene, leaving only Jesus and Mary, his mother, the Christmas story could still be told. Because the heart of the Christmas story is not about those important but extra people, but about a child, the Son of God, born of a woman, born under the law, as Paul says to the Galatians.

But then we have to ask – can we take the next step. Can we go one step even further in reducing the Nativity scene and take away Mary, leaving only the child Jesus. On the one hand, of course we can – Christmas is about Jesus, the Son of God, born for us – and all our celebrations of Christmas focus on the person this child is. We could just have the infant Jesus, lying in a manger – and our Nativity scene would be complete. But, on the other hand, we would still be missing something. We do need Mary there, because we can’t ignore the fact that Jesus was born of Mary, that she is his mother. The child we worship is not God alone – he is also fully human, and we have to include Mary in the picture to remind us of her Son’s humanity. That’s why images of the Madonna and Child have been so popular throughout history – because by picturing Mary and Jesus, we can sum up everything we believe about the Word made flesh, God made man. And that’s what we celebrate today on this Feast of Mary, the Mother of God. Just like all the other figures in the Nativity scene, just like all Christians through the ages, Mary’s gaze is focused on the child in the manger – he alone is the reason for our celebration and the focus of our worship. But we can’t completely take Mary out of the picture, because her “yes,” her response to the angel’s message is an indispensable part of God’s plan. She is a loving mother, she is the perfect disciple – always leading people to her Son, the Son of God. And we can never take her out of the picture of Christmas.