Infancy Narrative Images: Letter from Mtr. Emily

Dear friends at Our Redeemer,

I hope you will pop into the Great Hall after church on Sunday! We’re doing something like what we did back in February, when we chose the Stations of the Cross. You’ll receive some stickers, and there will be lots of pictures out on the tables. I hope you will put stickers on the images that you like the best, or that are the most moving to you, or that you would love to look at, or that you think best capture an important element of the Scripture.

Back in February we were choosing images for the eight Scriptural Stations of the Cross. We put them up for Lent, but they proved so popular that it was decided to keep them up for a longer time.

This time, I’m so delighted that Rev. Megan and the Worship Committee have agreed to put up images of eight Infancy Narratives. The Infancy Narratives are stories from the Gospels that have to do with Jesus’ birth and childhood. I have listed them below. These images will be displayed from the first Sunday of Advent (November 30) through the last Sunday in the Season after Epiphany (February 15). Like with the Stations of the Cross, I will put together a little booklet that will be available for all ages to look at the images and pray through them. (Thanks to our new printer, they will be in color!)

These stories are a cherished part of how we come to meet Jesus and more fully understand who Jesus really is. They are also the moments that give us some of the most beloved prayers and canticles in the Christian tradition: “Let it be unto me according to your word”; the Magnificat (“My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoiceth in God my Savior”); the Song of Simeon (“Now let thy servant depart in peace”); and parts of the Angelus (“And she conceived by the Holy Spirit”; “Blessed are you among women”).

Because of this, six of these narratives are very important in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. We teach five of them to children as young as three, and this is where they encounter these prayers as well as these important mysteries about Jesus. When children enter Atrium 2, we add the story of the Flight into Egypt and also add the longer prayers associated with the stories. On Sunday I will display some of the materials we use in the Atrium, and if anyone is interested, I will share the materials with a group the same way we share it in the Atrium.

I think you might know by now that pictures and things to look at are very important to me. They can be a help or a hindrance in our private and common prayer lives. Images can stick with us the way a Bible verse or hymn does. Like a verse or hymn, they can be doors that open to new thoughts, feelings, or realizations. So I look forward to seeing which images you enjoy, and I am so excited to see what you think of this experiment!

The Annunciation: The angel Gabriel is sent by God to Mary, to ask her to be the mother of Jesus. 
Joseph’s First Dream: The angel Gabriel is sent to Joseph in a dream, to tell him that Jesus will be born.
The Visitation: Mary visits her kinswoman Elizabeth, who is also carrying a child. 
The Nativity and Adoration of the Shepherds: An angel announces the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, who go to find the Holy Family.
The Presentation at the Temple: Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the Temple, where they are met by Simeon and Anna.
The Adoration of the Magi: The Magi arrive in Bethlehem and bring gifts to Baby Jesus.
The Flight into Egypt: The Holy Family flees King Herod and go to Egypt.
The Finding of Jesus in the Temple: At the Passover, Mary and Joseph lose Jesus; he is found talking with the Teachers in the Temple.

Mtr. Emily

November 5, 2025
Feast of William Temple