Second Sunday of Advent

Becky Donaldy Everhart and Rob Donaldy’s family heirloom nativity dates back to 1957.

Becky writes, “H. Schuster, Sternenplatz 6, Luzern, Switzerland, did not speak English very well and was busy waiting on the tourists who were buying Swiss watches at his jewelry shop. It was 1957, and our mother was the only person looking at the Nativity set in the window. It was hand-carved, hand-painted work of art and faith that touched her heart. She asked the price of the crèche. Mr. Schuster thought she only wanted the stable. When he realized that she wanted to buy the stable and all twenty figures, he stopped waiting on everyone else. Our mother purchased what was to become our family’s greatest treasure and had it shipped over four thousand miles to our home in Ohio. It graced the Christmases of our childhood and travelled with us another 900 miles lovingly wrapped in a baby blanket in the back seat of our car when we moved from Ohio in 1969.

For many years our Nativity set was displayed in the living room from the day after Thanksgiving until Twelfth Night. Our cat loved to move the figures aside and curl up in the stable. We frequently caught her napping there. One morning we discovered the figure of Baby Jesus was missing. We found Him safely nestled among her toys. We have so many wonderful memories connected to our Nativity set: the friends who smiled when they saw it, the carols we sang around it as children, our parents’ reading the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-16 as we arranged the figures. We keep our Nativity set in the china cabinet year round now. We see it as we come and go every day, and we thank God for the Gift of His Son. We remember our mother who knew the value of what she saw in the window at Sternenplatz 6 so long ago, and every Christmas we say a prayer for H. Schuster who, with God’s help, carved the Nativity set that has blessed our family for fifty-eight years.”

Scripture: Proverbs 1:8-9

Thought for the Day: Do you recall your mother or father reading to you before bedtime? Did he or she also read the Nativity story to you?

Prayer: Holy Teacher, we thank You that for years people of faith have shared the stories of You and Your people with younger generations. We are grateful to tell others the story of Jesus’ birth and to see the amazement and wonder in their eyes. Help us always to experience that joy as we read the familiar accounts of Jesus’ birth in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. In His name, we pray. Amen.