Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Crossing

This Christmas Eve at 6:00 pm, UUCWC will do a nativity pageant during its family service. I have been asked by some parents why we are doing a pageant when most Unitarian Universalists don’t believe in the virgin birth and don’t believe in the special divinity of Jesus. My answer is that there are important themes in the Christmas story that our children should know, and experiencing the Christmas story in pageant form with a live baby makes those themes even more real to us.

The birth of Jesus is about hope in times of darkness, hope in a violent world for peace on earth and good will to all people, and the importance and promise of every child born into this world. It is this latter theme that a pageant is especially good at teaching. The beauty of the Christmas story is not that God came down to us in one special child, but that the divine is in every person. Our nativity pageant calls for at least 27 people to volunteer for a role during the 6:00 pm Christmas Eve service. It is a special night with stars, angels, shepherds, wise persons, and many animals. At the end of the service, when children and adults are in their costumes gazing down at a baby from our congregation in the “manger,” we will all experience the familiar story in a new more meaningful and moving way. The love, mystery, and wonder we feel as we gaze at our Jesus remind us that each night a child is born … is a holy night.