Micah 5.2
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of
Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose
origin is from of old, from ancient days.
Matthew 2.6
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among
the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my
people Israel.’”
Several years ago Frank and I made our first journey to the Holy Land. It was a most amazing opportunity to walk where Jesus walked, and for the places in scriptures to be so very real.
We went to Bethlehem for a few nights after a week-long tour. We stayed in a simple hotel because the better hotel across the street was full. The whole place was crowded and cold; there was no heat, the walls were paper thin, and a baby cried all night in the room next door. I woke exhausted, cold, grumpy and wanting a warm bed and a good night’s rest.
I remember saying to myself, “You can’t make this stuff up! Am I really in Bethlehem on a cold winter night, hearing a baby cry? The next morning I wondered if that really happened. And I was challenged to ask myself, “Do I just want to be comfortable? Is my life about what I want? Or do I truly desire to be part of a much bigger story?”
We spent the next few days with Palestinian Christians, listening and learning their struggles, their faith, and their hope for a better world.
Sunday we lit the first advent candle, the candle of hope. To experience that hope we must ‘go to Bethlehem’, and listen to the story of Jesus’ birth again. Not the Jesus born into a children’s storybook, but the real story. That story is not glamorous, but it’s miraculous. It’s filled with the angelic, the political, the ordinary, the mundane, and with the wonder and awe of God. It’s the story of people in darkness, in a cold world, and how their hope is made real.
So, this Christmas let’s remember the challenging and perilous times that faced the newborn Jesus and his loving earthly family. May we better appreciate God’s intervention on their behalf and on ours. See the miracles, and listen for the Spirit that continues to call us forward in God’s work. For we are all pilgrims called to be in this story - the holy story that began thousands of years ago.
Rev. Linda Roby, Associate Minister, Minister of Congregational Care, Minister of Local and Global
Missions
