O Little Town of Bethlehem
This is my first Christmas since visiting the little town of Bethlehem this past May. Hearing the carols about this town over the past few weeks have brought to mind a whole array of thoughts about my trip.
More than any other place I've been, I felt that much of Israel was frozen in time. The Israel we experienced served as a backdrop for my imagination of an Israel 2000 years earlier. Same language, same Torah, same laws. But Bethlehem was different. Though placed in the middle of Israel, Bethlehem is mostly Muslim, mostly Palestinian.
To enter this little town, our tour bus had to be thoroughly checked--with guards on board, and mirrors examining the underside of the bus. We parked in a large parking garage, and walked four or five blocks, past the police station, to the Church of the Nativity.
The outside of the church is plain. The doorway small. I literally have to bend over and squat down to enter the church--we are reminded of the verse declaring that in the presence of the Lord, "every knee will bow," which is literally true in this case.
The beams of the roof are rough--more than any other part of the church, they remind me of my American view of the stable in Bethlehem. But, this is not the place. We go to the very front corner of the church and walk down a flight of rock-hewn steps into the dark, damp cave where they imagine Jesus was born. Standing underneath the guided altar, in the cave with fabric covered walls, it's hard to picture a young family in a strange town 2000 years ago.
It doesn't matter to me if Jesus was born in that exact place, or on the exact night of December 25. What does matter is that he was born. I learned later that Bethlehem literally translates "house of bread" (beth-house of, lehem-bread). How appropriate for the birthplace of the bread of life.
Here are some pictures from my visit this May to the little town of Bethlehem...
Bethlehem Police
The sign on the wall between Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
A cross outside the steps down to the cave where Jesus was born.
My sweet friend Tiffany (above) shared a fascinating article about Bethlehem from the National Geographic December issue. I highly recommend it, for the article, as well as the photographs and video.
This year, my wish for the little town of Bethlehem is a still, deep, quiet night of peace.
More than any other place I've been, I felt that much of Israel was frozen in time. The Israel we experienced served as a backdrop for my imagination of an Israel 2000 years earlier. Same language, same Torah, same laws. But Bethlehem was different. Though placed in the middle of Israel, Bethlehem is mostly Muslim, mostly Palestinian.
To enter this little town, our tour bus had to be thoroughly checked--with guards on board, and mirrors examining the underside of the bus. We parked in a large parking garage, and walked four or five blocks, past the police station, to the Church of the Nativity.
The outside of the church is plain. The doorway small. I literally have to bend over and squat down to enter the church--we are reminded of the verse declaring that in the presence of the Lord, "every knee will bow," which is literally true in this case.
The beams of the roof are rough--more than any other part of the church, they remind me of my American view of the stable in Bethlehem. But, this is not the place. We go to the very front corner of the church and walk down a flight of rock-hewn steps into the dark, damp cave where they imagine Jesus was born. Standing underneath the guided altar, in the cave with fabric covered walls, it's hard to picture a young family in a strange town 2000 years ago.
It doesn't matter to me if Jesus was born in that exact place, or on the exact night of December 25. What does matter is that he was born. I learned later that Bethlehem literally translates "house of bread" (beth-house of, lehem-bread). How appropriate for the birthplace of the bread of life.
Here are some pictures from my visit this May to the little town of Bethlehem...
In the Grotto of the Nativity at the designated spot of Jesus' birth.
Bethlehem Police
The sign on the wall between Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
A cross outside the steps down to the cave where Jesus was born.
In Manger Square outside the church.
My sweet friend Tiffany (above) shared a fascinating article about Bethlehem from the National Geographic December issue. I highly recommend it, for the article, as well as the photographs and video.
This year, my wish for the little town of Bethlehem is a still, deep, quiet night of peace.
posted by Katie at 9:05 PM
3 Comments:
What an incredible trip! You will have mental images forever that will make the stories of Christ come alive even more. Thanks for sharing.
Hey girl! I love this post. I read it when it you first posted and never commented. It's funny b/c two weeks ago Chris preached about Bethlehem meaning "House of Bread" and then last week he talked about coming into the church on your knees and used a picture that a guy from ACU had taken of that church. I thought you might be interested in picking up this month's National Geographic. It is all about Bethlehem. The lead photographer was a guy also named Chris (that dated Tara) that went to ACU. I haven't seen it yet but Chris had some of the photos in his sermon. They were amazing. Just thought I'd pass it along. Love you!
Thank you for sharing these photos! I found your blog through Kelly's. I'm enjoying seeing the blogs of other christians, and actually recognizing the school names as church of Christ schools!
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