The Beauty of a Broken Nativity

Last Saturday evening, Troy and Jean Willingham hosted a dinner for Paul Baxley as he was visiting with and preaching at First Baptist St Petersburg on Sunday morning. We were welcomed by a house full of church staff and lay leaders.  

As we were gathered in Willingham’s living room introducing ourselves, I noticed a beautiful pearl-white nativity scene. When viewed from afar it was gorgeous.  However, as I moved to admire it more closely, I noticed little imperfections.  The paint is chipped, the angel’s wing is missing, Jesus’ arm is long lost, both Joseph’s and the donkey’s heads have been glued back in place and the cow was missing his horns. These fragile figures showed wear and tear of time, storage, and countless past Christmases. 

Each year, as boxes of Christmas decorations are pulled from our closets, many of us find our own nativity scenes also looking more tired and worn. 

But don’t you agree our nativity scenes mirror our lives?  We also carry cracks and flaws. We are chipped by disappointments, worn down by struggles, and broken in ways that can’t be glued back in place. But just as the nativity still tells the story of God’s love coming into the world, our lives—broken as they are, also have the power to share God’s love with the world. 

So when we set out our imperfect nativity scenes this year, let them remind us: God doesn’t wait for us to be perfect before he love us.  God comes into our cracks and brokenness and makes them holy. 

Tammy Snyder (held together by God’s grace and glue)

December 21, 2025