Nativity scenes tell of the ‘miraculous birth’ at Christmas

Christmas is a time of year and a reason to celebrate the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ, and there is no better place to see that than in the various nativity scenes in the community.

The Rev. Sonny Wilkes, who preaches at Trinity Assembly of God in Wrightsville but lives in Dublin, said this is a time of celebration and an opportunity for family and friends to come together and remember Jesus’ birth more than 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem. He likes to go around to the different nativity scenes in Laurens County

“What a wonderful gift God gave us,” Wilkes said. “Last year I went to the different ones and made a post about how wonderful it was to live in an area that still believes in the miraculous birth, born of a virgin. It never happened before and will never happen again. This is the ultimate gift.”

Many of the people at the manger gave so much.

“Joseph gave his trust,” Wilkes said. “Mary gave herself. The wise men gave their ability, the shepherds gave their time, the angels gave their praise and God gave Jesus and showed how beautiful this story is. For us, we can all give Jesus, our Lord and Savior.” 

Wilkes likes to read the Christmas story found in Luke 2. He hopes people will take this story with them every day and not just on Christmas. But as good and beautiful as this was, Wilkes said it paints a picture toward the cross where Jesus died for our sins.

“In one sense, it was ugly, but in another sense for the Christian, it was beautiful because it made the way for us to be able to be saved and be able to go to heaven and not hell,” Wilkes said. “This is a free gift for everybody.”

This is the time of year when people give more.

“It is good to drop some change or dollars in that bucket (for The Salvation Army),” Wilkes said. “When so many do that, it mounts up and helps makes a difference in somebody’s life who might not be as fortunate as we are. 

“It’s easy to get caught up in the materialism and the hustle, the bustle, the shopping and getting ahead in front of that crowd,” he added. “Sometimes we get a little frustrated and maybe a little angry. But that is not what it is all about. This is a time for peace, tranquility and a time for reflection and celebration. This is a time to let our lights shine.”