Time Itself Stands Still | Beyond the Walls | Dec 14 2025 скачать в хорошем качестве

Time Itself Stands Still | Beyond the Walls | Dec 14 2025

As we light the Candle of Love, we seek to fill a world weary from suffering and uncertainty with Christmas cheer as members and friends from around the world share testimonies of Christmas. We also continue our exploration of the Infancy Gospel of James, the source for many of our earliest Christmas traditions. Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem and there is no room for them at the inn. Most Nativity Scenes in the West are centered on the baby Jesus who is lying in a manger (or animal feeding trough), surrounded by animals in a stable. However, the stable is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible. It is inferred from the verse in Luke which reads that Mary wrapped her son in cloth “and placed him in a manger” (2:7). A more ancient Christian tradition set the nativity (with its manger and animals) in a cave. The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem today is built over the traditional “grotto” or cave that has been identified as the birthplace of Jesus since at least the 4th century. Orthodox icons depicting the Nativity portray Mary reclining in a cave next to the baby Jesus in a manger alongside an ox and a donkey. Joseph, meanwhile, is shown outside the cave, talking to an old shepherd. As we shall see, this older version of the Nativity is first recorded in the Infancy Gospel of James. We invite you to share this hour of reflection, prayer, meditation, music, and fellowship with the Beyond the Walls global community on 📅 Sunday, December 14. This Advent season on Beyond the Walls, we will explore early Christian stories that have shaped the nativity account even to our days. From the traditions surrounding Mary’s childhood to the ways communities imagined the Holy Family, we will trace how themes of hope, preparation, and divine presence developed across both canonical and non-canonical texts. Each week invites us to reflect on how these ancient narratives continue to inform the meaning of Christmas today. 📖 Full worship bulletin: https://www.centreplace.ca/bulletin 🎵 All music performed by the Beyond the Walls Choir and @MichaelKarpowicz. Copyrighted music with permission by OneLicense A-739874 🌐 Beyond the Walls is an online worship service with live ministry from around the world. Our global congregation gathers every Sunday at 12:00 pm ET and 6:00 pm ET. We’re an inclusive, non-dogmatic, progressive Christian community that affirms all gender identities and expressions, embraces interfaith and skeptical perspectives, and rejects literal interpretations of scripture. #churchonline #churchservice #worshipservice