The Fourth Sunday in Advent

Bethlehem Ephrathah, You Are One of the Smallest Towns in the Nation of Judah

Micah 5: 2

The inn (or caravansary) where Mary and Joseph looked for shelter before Jesus was born may have been outside Bethlehem proper.

So we may choose to make a scene of Bethlehem itself as a background for our manger scenes or creches.

This background makes a nice addition to the family Nativity scene at home.

Copy the cutout on heavy white paper or gold or silver lightweight cardboard. Proportion it as large or small as you like.

Small children may need a lot of help with the cutting. Some older children may be trustworthy with X-Acto knives for the smallest cuts.

Instead of cutting out all the window and door shapes, small children may do better with stickers of formex film, or simply with coloring in the shapes.

Score and fold on the dotted lines, folding with the domed portion in front.

The scene is most impressive if none of the lines show and if all the tiny pieces are cut out - you could even place a votive candle behind it to shine through the windows.

But most important are the figures of the Nativity that we place before it.

 

We can use this cutout of Bethlehem on our Christmas bulletin boards as well.

 

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