A nativity scene set up at St. Joseph's Oratory is getting people talking.
It's your traditional nativity scene with baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the Three Wise Men — but reimagined by a millennial.
The set in question has actually been on sale online since 2016, but St. Joseph's Oratory managed to get a hold of one, and put it on display in its museum, as part of its annual display of nativity scenes from around the world.
Mary, for instance, is holding a cup of coffee, wearing an off-the-shoulder top, black leggings and sneakers, and is duck-facing for a camera phone — not long after giving birth to the Son of God, supposedly — being held by Joseph, who's wearing a lumberjack shirt, khakis, and the requisite hipster moustache-and-beard combo.
The stable that Jesus was born in is solar-powered, and the cow, labeled '100% organic', is feeding on gluten-free feed.
Oh, and the Three Wise Men? They're all on Segways, delivering what looks to be Amazon packages, while a stablehand readies a tablet to take pictures of the happy family for Instagram.
Officials at the Oratory insist the display isn't sacrilegious or irreverent, but rather, a contemporary take on the traditional nativity scene which is designed to make people smile. Visitors, however, appear to be split down the middle about it.
The nativity scene was designed by a San Diego-based company called Modern Nativity. If you're lucky, you might be able to get one of your very own sets online, for as little as $59.99 US.
Nativity scene at St Joseph’s oratory features Joseph taking a selfie with Mary and baby Jesus, wise men on Segways carrying Amazon packages, and cattle eating gluten-free feed. Discuss. pic.twitter.com/MsUvgjecKg
— Rob Lurie (@RLurieCTV) December 10, 2018