Each culture has its own rendition of the nativity. Baby Jesus may lay in a manger made from clay, wire, papiermache, corn husks or terra cotta. Mary may be dressed as a Renaissance figure or in contemporary clothing holding a Starbucks cup.

HeART Gallery, in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, exhibits more than 300 nativities from around the world in its fourth annual Nativity Festival.

Staged among theme…