When St. Francis planned to make his fellow citizens a little more interested in the human aspect of Jesus, by pulling out some actual stinky barn animals and making a life-size nativity scene, I'm sure that he would not have imagined the appearance of this:
I wish it came with a St. Francis of Assisi endorsement on the box. It's a travesty little children are playing with these and don't know the history of the first creche. :))
After visiting Toys R Us at 6 p.m. on Saturday, I headed to Patrick's Family restaurant in Nixa (yummy catfish) and listened to some old-timers play some pretty cool Johnny Cash tunes, alongside some faith tunes as well (Folsom prison and Heaven tunes are a bit abrupt). On the wall of the restaurant were various signs--one of the popular themes carved in wood was: "Thank you Jesus". I would compare this to a Madonna in Italy--in that there was public acknowledgement of the divine.
On Sunday afternoon at Phelps Grove park, I went for a walk where several groups of role-players interacted in a medieval fantasy game. There were colorful flags erected. Some had tunics, some had long hair braids, some had more like Samurai pants on. I was reminded again of how the age that we are studying comes with so many layers of "history" that we must sort through: the humanists at that time writing their own advertisements; the historians of the 19th century; popular culture and the fantasy of the past ala Game of Thrones; the sexuality of shows like the Borgias . . . I am thankful to have actual primary sources that force me to think through fact and fantasy. I am also thankful that there are people who are interested in the period, despite it heading towards more fantasy.
Now to the store, I need one of those nativity scenes! Who doesn't love Little People?
The children's nativity is something I had not yet had the privilege of seeing. I wonder if there are others like it? perhaps a Madonna or Jesus action figure for older children? St. Francis might have had mixed feelings about this! haha
ReplyDelete