December 20: Uneasy Christmas in the Birthplace of Christ
♫ Music:
WEEK FOUR
December 20 - December 26
THE BIRTH OF CHRIST
It is with great joy that we recount the momentous events of Christ’s birth as they unfold before us. The stories of Christmas with their familiar words of anticipation and hope, take us back to those miraculous days so long ago. The arduous journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem ended in a simple cave used to shelter livestock. A cloud of angelic hosts revealed the newborn Messiah to poor shepherds who knelt in heartfelt worship before the babe. At the other end of the spectrum, wealthy Gentile kings from the east led by a star acknowledged Christ’s divine authority as they too bowed in submission before Him. Now it’s our turn. “O come let us adore Him, Jesus Christ the Lord!”
Sunday, December 20
Scripture: Micah 5:2-5a
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace…
UNEASY CHRISTMAS IN THE BIRTHPLACE OF CHRIST
There are many sounds of Christmas: voices of cheer and laughter, and songs of good will. But in the “little town” of Bethlehem, after Jesus was born, there were other voices. Mingled with cries of “Joy to the world,” there were sounds of weeping.
King Herod searched for the Child to kill Him. Frustrated, insecure, and filled with rage, he gave orders to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity.
“A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and bitter weeping, Rachel is weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Since that notorious “slaughter of the innocents,” Bethlehem—home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world—has known much bitter weeping. Historically, Persians, Crusaders, Turks, and others have fought over the city. Today, Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli soldiers. Night raids and arrests are frequent. Thousands of Christians, fearing persecution by Palestinian Muslims, have fled the city.
“A voice is heard…mourning and bitter weeping… refusing to be comforted.”
How ironic! Sacred burial site of matriarch Rachel and birthplace of King David and of the Lord Jesus, Bethlehem is a symbol of both joy and tears. In that first Christmas, we see the dark side of human nature, and the bright hope of its transformation.
The tragedy and sorrow that flowed from Bethlehem are all around us today. Voices of sadness, loss, and pain. Unspoken voices of loneliness and fear. Who around you needs comfort this Christmas? Who is crying out to be heard?
In “Bethlehem’s” across Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan; in refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan; among millions of displaced men, women, and children pouring across the borders of Europe; in the cries of the lost who have not heard the good news of Jesus Christ:
“A voice is heard…mourning and bitter weeping… refusing to be comforted.”
Where is Jesus in all this? The Son of God was birthed into a world of mourning. He journeys with us through the “Valley of Weeping.” Jesus enters into places of tears—that is why He came.
Thousands of people in many nations are far from his comfort today—both neighbors and nations who have become neighbors through migration. In many broken places of our world there is no acknowledgement of the Comforter.
Ask the Christ of Bethlehem, the Man of Sorrows and Lord of love, to give you His heart for those who weep this Christmas.
“A voice is heard…mourning and bitter weeping.”
Do you hear what I hear?
PRAYER
Lord, give me Your heart for the lost, the broken, the lonely, forgotten and afraid. May the tears of the One who weeps for our world soften my heart. Holy Spirit, help me to hear the other voices of Christmas. Amen.
Debi Bartlotti, Spiritual Director, Talbot School of Theology
About the Artist and Art
Uneasy Christmas in the Birthplace of Christ
Norman Rockwell
Oil on Canvas
Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA
Norman Percevel Rockwell (1894 –1978) was a 20th century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection on American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life he created for The Saturday Evening Post magazine over nearly five decades. Rockwell was a prolific artist, producing more than four thousand original works in his lifetime. Most of his works are in public collections. Rockwell also was commissioned to illustrate more than forty books, including Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Illustrations for booklets, catalogs, movie posters, sheet music, stamps, playing cards, and murals rounded out Rockwell's oeuvre as an illustrator.
In December of 1969, Rockwell flew to Bethlehem to paint a Christmas scene, accompanied by his wife Molly Rockwell and his photographer, Brad Herzog. On Christmas Eve, from the rooftop of a Bethlehem hotel, he gathered impressions for his painting and directed Herzog on exactly what to photograph. He was particularly moved by the “sumptuous” presentation of the priests, cardinals, and bishops as they entered the basilica. “The high priests carry large crucifixes and banners,” he said, “and wear white and scarlet robes, some of them with their red bishop’s caps. . . . It is indeed a tremendous spectacle and, although I am not a religious man, I was greatly impressed.” Rockwell’s tension-filled illustration contrasts a family of American pilgrims with Israeli soldiers and a Palestinian observer as together they take in the Christmas Eve procession. From this experience came the painting Uneasy Christmas in the Birthplace of Christ.
About the Music
“O Little Town of Bethlehem”
Lyrics
O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by!
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight!
For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wondering love!
O morning stars together, proclaim the holy birth,
And praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth!
O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today!
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!
How silently, how silently, the wondrous Gift is giv’n;
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His Heav’n!
No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in!
O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today!
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!
O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by!
About the Composer
Phillip Brooks (1835-1893) was well-known as a preacher of excellence within the Episcopal Church, and as an American patriot. During the American Civil War, he took a firm public stand against slavery. He held a Doctorate of Divinity from Oxford, and was a teacher at Yale University. In addition, Brooks was a published author and the subject of a biography written by one of his peers. In 1865, Brooks traveled to the Holy Land. On December 24th he made his way on horseback from Jerusalem to Bethlehem where he attended a five-hour Christmas musical celebration at the Church of the Nativity -- just a short distance from the hillside where the shepherds first heard the angels sing. At Christmastime three years later, recalling that magical night in Bethlehem, Brooks penned a song for the children's choir of his church. His organist put melody to his words and on Christmas Eve, 1868, O Little Town of Bethlehem was sung for the very first time.
About the Performer
Fernando Ortega is an evangelical Christian singer-songwriter and worship leader, heavily influenced by traditional hymns as well as his family’s Albuquerque, New Mexico heritage. Much of his current inspiration comes from the North American Anglican liturgy. From the late 70′s to the mid 90’s, he served in music ministry at a number of churches in New Mexico and Southern California. From 1993 to the present, Ortega has worked as a concert/recording artist, and has released 14 albums. O Little Town of Bethlehem is from his album Christmas Songs, released in 2008.
Website: www.fernandoortega.com