Blessing of the Christmas Crib

Hello Friends,

Sending wishes to all of my family and friends for at least a moment of solitude and serenity to contemplate the solemn mystery of this great feast - the coming of the Prince of Peace.

Blessing of the Christmas Crib

Lord, as we place this straw in our manger 

and await the feast of the Birth of the Holy Child, 

may we wonder and rejoice 

in this most ancient celebration.

With straw as his blanket, 

he came to us and in his humanity, 

experienced the chill of the Bethlehem night, 

the roughness of the manger straw 

and the gentle touch of Mary. 

Lord, look upon this manger scene; 

may its simplicity and silence remind us 

of the humble birth of Jesus, Savior of all. 

As the Magi came bearing gifts, may we, this Christmas, 

gift one another with the gold of charity, 

the myrrh of kindness and the incense of prayer. 

With the shepherds, we come to the birth of Christ 

seeking a simple celebration, 

where the greatest gift will be ourselves 

given to You, our God, and to each other in your love. 

May the star of Bethlehem 

which shone brightly over the first crib, 

stand guard over our home, 

filling it and all the earth with light and peace.

Amen

adapted from prayers by Edward Hayes

Simple clay nativity from Haiti 

Wishing you and yours a most holy Christmas season filled with wonder and joy.

  

My handmade nativity from the first Christmas in our home 1975, 

under our tree every year.

My handmade wood puzzle nativity, it all fits into the manger frame.

Straw marquetry nativity.  It took me 80 hours to complete this, the individual straw is peeled, soaked in water, split with a razor, ironed flat, glued to graph paper, cut out and glued in place.

Merry Christmas,

Bonnie