Welcome to the New Year

Since it is still the Christmas Season, I have chosen another of our 'Nativity Scenes' as a subject for today.

Made of olive wood this shows the stable scene on the right, and either the shepherds or the wisemen on the left. Between them is the wall that now separates Bethlehem from the fields around. While not wanting to make any political comment, it is interesting that both shepherds and wisemen, the lowly and the more exalted, would have found it hard to visit Jesus in today's environment in that region.