"Oh Little Town"

"Oh little town of Bethlehem how still we see thee lie." "Above they deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by."



Except for our voices quietly singing the beloved hymn, all was hushed in the labyrinth of caves
that may well be the place where Jesus was born.

Above us is the Church of the Nativity. Elaborately adorned. A shrine where people wait in line for hours and different factions of the Christian church still fight, sometimes physically, over inches of space.

It is in the peace of the caverns below that we sense the holy presence. The voices of my travel companions aree beautiful. They are other members of my church. They sing like angels. A few other travelers make made it into the labyrinth below the church. The stop to listen to our group. And are moved, you can tell.

Bethlehem. Jesus would weep to see her. No longer a thriving multi-faith village. Violence between Muslims and Jews have trapped Christians inside a concrete cage. Literally.

There was an interesting article in National Geographic recently about what it's like for Christians living in Bethlehem now. I make no political statement in providing this link here except to point out that there's a certain irony in the difficulties the followers of Christ face in the Holy Land. Or perhaps not. For it was Christ himself who first said "no prophet is accepted in the prophet's own hometown." Luke 4:24

But there is hope. We stop at a bustling store and buy goods produced by Christian artisans. Like this nativity scene.

Mitri Raheb, Pastor at Christmas Lutheran Church has built a school and is now trying to build a university. Bright Stars of Bethlehem is an organization trying to support that work.
You can read more about it here.

Everywhere we gont in the Holy Land we read scripture and sing hymns tied to that particular spot. It is an incredible experience.

No where is it more powerful than in the place of our Savior's birth.

"O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Immanuel!"