The Nativity scene of contemporary Christmas happened in Bethlehem. There is a baby in a manger, Mary and Joseph, stable animals, the 3 Magi, and a shining star. We are in The Church of Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus, 2000 years ago.
Helena, the mother of Constantine built a Byzantine church over it. The Persians invaded but spared its destruction. They saw the robes of one of the 3 Magi, similar to their Kings. Crusaders restored and magnified it. The Ottomans neglected it to decay. An earthquake devastated it. The Church of Nativity is ministered by the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and Armenians, today.
We entered a small and narrow passage into the Grotto of Nativity. On a marble floor is a fourteen-point silver star marking the birth spot with Latin inscriptions.
It says, "Here Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary”