December 11th, 2025
“Nativity Painting” - By Marcie Stamman
Art as Prayer: Waiting with Mary
By Marcie Stammen
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” — John 1:14
“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” — Luke 1:38
Advent invites us to slow down, to wait, and to watch for the coming of Christ in the humble places of our lives. This year, during a sacred-art workshop I led in the first week of Advent, I witnessed how deeply God moves through creativity.
Before we began painting, we opened in prayer — inviting Mary to help us wait with her, to receive Jesus as she did: in trust, humility, and quiet surrender. Each person then picked up a brush and gently began to fill the canvas with shape and color — not rushing, simply responding to His presence.
There is something tender about the Nativity scene we painted — Mary and Joseph bent in adoration, their eyes lowered toward the face of Jesus. The star pulls our attention downward too. Advent teaches us: if you want to find God, look low. Look to the manger. Look to the hidden places where Love chooses to arrive.
As paint layered over paint, each canvas began to reveal a unique relationship with Christ. The stained-glass shapes became little prayers — one brushstroke at a time — carried silently into the heart of God. It became a living expression of Visio Divina (holy seeing):
Gaze — What draws your eyes first?
Meditate — Where is God inviting you to rest?
Pray — What will you place in the manger today?
Contemplate — How is Jesus loving you in this moment?
At the end of the evening, each person held up her painting with joy — a joy that whispers: Christ desires to be born within me, too.
This Advent, may we learn from the Holy Family:
— like Mary, to welcome grace with an open heart
— like Joseph, to protect what is sacred in silence
— like Jesus, to bring light into every darkness
Prayer
Come, Emmanuel.
Enter the humble stable of my heart.
Teach me to wait with Mary, to trust with Joseph,
and to rejoice when Your light breaks in.
Amen.
Marcie Stammen is a Catholic mixed-media fine artist and workshop leader based in rural Ohio. Her work invites viewers into peace, prayer, and a spiritual encounter through layers of color, hymns, and sacred symbolism.
https://www.artbymarcie.com/
https://www.instagram.com/marciestammen/