The word nativity is defined as:

1. The birth of Jesus.
2. A representation, such as a painting, of Jesus just after birth.
3. Christmas.

The synonyms for nativity are:

bearing, beginning, birthing, blessed event*, childbearing, childbirth, creation, delivery, labor, nascency, natality, parturition, producing, travail

I don't know about you, but we have a nativity.  It is from Fontanini and we have collected the pieces through the years.  As I sit out the different pieces it makes me wonder how it was that night long, long ago.  How would we have felt about a baby being born to save the world?  What if we were Mary?  I can only imagine her pain and her joy of giving birth to the one who would die for my sins.  She knew God's plan, but did she really?  I think her gift was faith...she lived each day knowing that God would give her direction and through her faithfulness, bless her.  That is my desire...to follow God's lead of stepping out in faith so that others might know his Joy. 

.