The grumpy old cat
He wanted a spat.
So he bashed at the dog
With his big furry paw
But she was too quick
And slid onto the floor.
She danced and she danced
Saying "you can't get me,
You are too old
For the dance" said she.
But she knows his grumpiness
Is all sham
For they both will lie down
Like the wolf with the lamb*.
*Isaiah 11:16 A wolf will reside with a lamb, and a leopard will lie down with a young goat; an ox and a young lion will graze together as a small child leads them along.
Why do I like the idea of always having a lamb (or sheep) on top of the (Nativity) stable (especially when there is also a cross depicted on it)?
Well, there is, of course, the simple icebreaker reason. Children, and indeed adults, walk into the church, see the Nativity Scene and ask “Why is there a sheep on the roof?” Bingo! There is your cue to talk to them, tell them what the scene represents, why we actually celebrate Christmas, that Jesus is ‘The Lamb of God’ or even just have a chat with them. Evangelicalism at it’s best in fact because it has been started by someone actually asking a question, which can led to a much wider discussion and spreading the word.
As just mentioned, then there is the description of Jesus being the Lamb of God. A title given to Jesus in John’s Gospel and referenced in the Book of Revelation; symbolizing Jesus as the greatest sacrifice. His blood shed to take away the sins of the world. How apt then, especially if the stable used is one with a cross depicted, that a lamb be placed on the roof symbolizing Jesus coming down from heaven, being born human at that first Christmas to His sacrifice on the cross at Easter to save us, rising from the grave and ascending to heaven.
Just because 