St. Francis of Assisi found the perfect way to dramatize the Christmas Story—the story of how the Light overcame the Darkness by becoming flesh and dwelling among us. (John 1:5,14). He gave us the Nativity Scene.

His Vision of the Nativity is simple. A tiny baby. A loving mother. A faithful husband. A homeless family. A humble stable. Lowly shepherds. Lordly kings. Bleating sheep. Singing angels.

Yet his Vision of the Nativity is profound. God is with us, even when we are poor and homeless, even when we find ourselves in “humbling places.” The lowliest family is blessed. Poor people worship God. Rich people worship God. Nature worships God. Heaven worships God.

His Vision of the Nativity is profoundly simple.

Yet, his Vision of the Nativity gives Joy and Peace to all Humanity in the Way of Jesus.

His Vision of the Nativity is not a perfect representation of historical facts. For example, the Magi were not there on the night Jesus was born. (Matthew 2:1-2).

Yet his Vision of the Nativity is a perfect representation of spiritual realities.

For example, meditate upon Mary.

When Mary became pregnant with Jesus (before her marriage to her fiancée, Joseph, was consummated!), Mary did what many an unmarried woman has done when she becomes pregnant out of wedlock. Mary left home to stay with a relative.

Mary traveled far away from home to the hill country of Judea where her relative Elizabeth lived. Elizabeth was six months pregnant with John the Baptist. (Luke 1:30-40).

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” In a loud voice, she greeted Mary: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear. . . .  Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her.” (Luke 1:41-45).

When we see Mary in the Nativity Scene, it helps us realize how blessed Mary and her baby were. Despite the difficult circumstances in which Mary became pregnant, Mary and Baby Jesus eventually found themselves surrounded by people who cared for them: her husband Joseph and the community of Bethlehem that sheltered and fed them.

When we see the difficult circumstances in which Mary gave birth to Jesus (far from home in a stable surrounded by animals), it helps us realize how much faith Mary had that the LORD God would fulfill his promises to her.

What were these promises?

The angel Gabriel told Mary these promises when he told her that—even though she was a virgin—she would conceive a son. How could this promised miracle come true? Because “the Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [so that] the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:34-35).

And there’s more!

Gabriel promised Mary: “[Your son] will be great and will be called the son of the Most High. The [LORD] God will give him the throne of his father, David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:32-33).

Gabriel ended with this final promise to Mary: “[N]o word from God will ever fail.” (Luke 1:37).

Faced suddenly and unexpectedly with these unbelievably great promises, Mary revealed her humble faith in the LORD God. She answered Gabriel: “I am the [LORD]’s servant. . . . May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38).

When Mary answered Elizabeth’s greeting a few months later, Mary showed why God chose wisely when he chose Mary to be the mother of his Son, Jesus. Her humble faith in the promises of the LORD God bursts forth as brightly as the Christmas Star, overcoming the Darkness with the Light of Mary.

Whenever we gaze upon Mary in the Nativity Scene, we should be reminded of the Light of Mary as revealed in the poetic reply she made to Elizabeth’s greeting—the Song of Mary, the Magnificat:

“My soul glorifies the [LORD]

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has been mindful

of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

holy is his name.

His mercy extends to those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things

but has sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

remembering to be merciful

to Abraham and his descendants forever,

just as he promised our ancestors.”

Mary started her Song by glorifying the LORD God for keeping his promises to her personally. Then, as she continued giving glory to God for the great things he has promised, she realized that the promises and the faithfulness of the LORD God extend to all people and all generations.

And so, Mary truly is lighting the world, overcoming the Darkness with the Light of Mary. How? Because the Holy Spirit came on her and the power of the Most High overshadowed her.

Therefore, in the Nativity Scene, as Mary gazes into the face of Baby Jesus, her face glows with the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23).

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To read more about St. Francis of Assisi, please read my blogs: “St. Francis of Assisi Made the Way of Jesus Great Again”, “St. Francis of Assisi’s Vision of the Nativity”, and “The Nativity Scene: Baby Jesus”, “The Nativity Scene: Joseph”, “The Nativity Scene: The Homeless Family”, “The Nativity Scene: The Humble Stable”, “The Nativity Scene: The Shepherds”, “The Nativity Scene: The Magi”, “The Nativity Scene: The Sheep”, and “The Nativity Scene: The Angels”; and by reading the chapter “Relying on the Lunar Module” in my book Visions of the Church (published with my book Visions of America), at pages 181-185.

The chapter about St. Francis of Assisi refers to the Lunar Module because I use the flawed—yet triumphant—flight of Apollo 13 as my narrative thread to give an overview of 2,000 years of Church history in only 60 pages.

To read more about the Nativity, please read my book Hoping in the LORD, at pages 12-46, including the chapter “To Give Us Hope, Mary Learns That She Will Give Birth to Jesus”, at pages 13-16.

To learn how the New Testament Church lit the world—not by might nor by power—but by God’s Spirit (Matthew 5:14,16; Zechariah 4:6), please read my book Lighting the World.