In the Chicago suburb of Evanston, a church’s nativity scene has sparked both conversation and controversy, transforming a centuries-old tradition into a potent commentary on modern immigration policies in the United States. Lake Street Church, a congregation affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and known for its progressive Christian theology, has erected a nativity display that is anything but conventional. This year, the church’s creche features the infant Jesus with zip ties around his wrists, wrapped in what appears to be an emergency blanket. Mary and Joseph stand nearby, their faces obscured by gas masks, while three Roman soldiers—reimagined as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents—stand guard in sunglasses and vests marked with the agency’s insignia.
The display, which was posted on the church’s Facebook page on November 25, 2025, is intentionally provocative. According to the church’s statement, the scene “reimagines the nativity as a scene of forced family separation, drawing direct parallels between the Holy Family’s refugee experience and contemporary immigration detention practices.” The church’s leadership is clear about their intent: to confront viewers with the disconnect between religious values of sanctuary and the harsh realities faced by families fleeing violence and seeking refuge today. The emergency blanket and zip ties are not arbitrary props; they reference the actual materials and methods used in detention centers, including a widely reported incident in Chicago earlier this year in which children—most of them U.S. citizens—were zip-tied by ICE agents during a raid.
“This installation is not subtle because the crisis it addresses is not abstract,” the church stated in its social media post. “We hope viewers will join the conversation about what sanctuary means when families fleeing violence are met with separation, detention, and dehumanization. We further hope that conversation will move people to action, regardless of faith or philosophical background.”
Lake Street Church’s activism is not confined to artistic statements. On November 14, 2025, the church’s pastor, Rev. Dr. Michael Woolf, was among 21 individuals detained during a protest at an ICE processing facility in Broadview, another Chicago suburb. Woolf, who has become a vocal advocate for immigrants and racial justice, explained his motivation: “Jesus was born into a context...the Roman Empire, right? He immediately has to flee and go into exile and become a refugee.” For Woolf and his congregation, the nativity story is not just ancient history, but a living narrative that resonates with the plight of today’s migrants.
“Our baby Jesus has zip ties on his hands because that was an actual incident that happened in our city,” Woolf told NBC Chicago, referencing the ICE raid that inspired the display. The symbolism is deliberate, intended to force a reckoning with the moral implications of immigration enforcement. “If you read the gospels, how we treat our neighbors is how we are treating Jesus,” Woolf added, underscoring the church’s belief that faith must be lived out in solidarity with the marginalized.
Lake Street Church’s social justice credentials are visible before one even steps inside. Its exterior is adorned with Black Lives Matter banners and other signs advocating for racial and social justice. The church’s commitment to advocacy is woven into its identity, and the nativity scene is just the latest example of its willingness to challenge the status quo.
The display has not gone unnoticed. Local residents and passersby have stopped to take in the scene, some drawn by curiosity, others by a sense of outrage or discomfort. “It is not a typical Nativity display, but one scene in Evanston is attracting attention,” reported NBC Chicago’s Charlie Wojciechowski. The reaction has been mixed, with some praising the church for its courage and others questioning whether such a statement belongs in a religious context. The Department of Homeland Security, when contacted by NBC Chicago, declined to comment on the protest or the nativity scene.
The church’s statement on social media emphasizes that the nativity is meant to be a starting point for dialogue, not an endpoint. “The Holy Family were refugees. This is not political interpretation, this is the reality described in the stories our tradition has told and retold for millennia,” the post reads. “By witnessing this familiar story through the reality faced by migrants today, we hope to restore its radical edge, and to ask what it means to celebrate the birth of a refugee child while turning away those who follow in that child’s footsteps.”
The installation has faced its own set of challenges—not from authorities, but from the elements. Since its unveiling, the nativity scene has suffered damage, including the removal of Mary’s gas mask and the cutting of zip ties from baby Jesus’s hands. Undeterred, Rev. Woolf has invited members of the congregation and local residents to help restore the display to its original state at a community event scheduled for Saturday, December 6, 2025. The invitation is as much about community building as it is about art restoration, reflecting the church’s belief in collective action and engagement.
Rev. Carol Hill, pastor of Park Ridge Community Church and a fellow protester at the Broadview ICE facility, echoed the call to solidarity: “When we see injustice being perpetrated against our siblings, we must stand with them.” For Woolf and Hill, the nativity scene is not just a symbol, but a call to action—a reminder that the Christmas story is, at its core, about seeking refuge in the face of oppression.
The display’s timing is no accident. As the holiday season approaches, churches across the country will stage countless nativity scenes, most depicting an idyllic tableau of peace and innocence. Lake Street Church’s version stands in stark contrast, a jarring reminder of the real-world struggles that mirror the biblical narrative. The church hopes that by placing the Christmas story “within the visual language of immigration enforcement and detention,” it will provoke viewers to consider their own responsibilities toward those in need.
As the debate over immigration continues to roil American politics, Lake Street Church’s nativity scene offers a powerful, if controversial, perspective. It asks difficult questions about faith, justice, and the meaning of sanctuary—questions that, for this congregation at least, cannot be separated from the story of Christmas itself.
For now, the nativity scene remains on display, battered but unbowed—a testament to one community’s determination to keep the conversation going, even when it’s uncomfortable. And perhaps that, more than anything, is the message the church hopes will endure long after the holiday season has passed.
