| "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it"
1 Corinthians 12:27 (NRSV). In February, anticipating our move from Colombia to Canada, my wife and I packed our nativity scene and we only just unpacked it again a couple of weeks ago. It is common in my country to only place the baby Jesus' body in the manger on the 25th of December when we celebrate the birth of Christ. In the meantime, all the other figures are placed around the empty manger where the body of Jesus will go on Christmas Day. The manger stays that way for a number of weeks. Really, the nativity scene does not mean much until Jesus is born. Nevertheless, it seems that during the move, the body of baby Jesus was lost. Unfortunately, some entities with Christian origins are a little like my nativity scene. They have excellent values, very good projects and amazing testimonies. In other words, nice forms. However, as time has gone by, they have gotten rid of their church identity and ended up displacing the body of Christ. They have become disconnected from God's strategy for transforming our society. Christian values and the results of development, peace, health and education projects only mean something in Christian entities when they are genuine expressions of the body of Christ, the church. When said entities identify with the church and receive the strength, vision, resources and life that they need from her, they give meaning to their existence and their impact on the world will be without equal. Let us pray this Christmas for our Anabaptist entities; that they continue to nourish themselves around Christ and his body, the church. Have a blessed Christmas!  | In Christ, 
César García, MWC general secretary |
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