Families all over the world set them up at home, some as a pious devotion, others as a seasonal decoration. Whatever the reason, the centre is the manger, the feeding trough — think of manger, the French verb “to eat.” Long before Christians began to think of Holy Communion — the bread of life, the Body of Christ — the manger was there for the baby Jesus. And Bethlehem, too, which means “house of bread.”
The manger scene is set up with an empty manger. All the other figures are arranged. The figurine of the baby Jesus is only placed in the manger on Christmas itself. It’s a good lesson. Everything can be set up ahead of time, but the empty manger is a reminder that until Jesus comes, it is not complete.
A manger scene without Jesus is to focus on secondary things and neglect primary things. Throwing out the baby but keeping the Bethlehem is to empty Christmas of its principal identity and purpose. The placing of the baby Jesus in the manger — often done by the youngest child at home — is a powerful way to keep Christ in Christmas.
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