Week 4a – Bethlehem!
Monday 15th March
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
Bethlehem is in fact neither little nor still! It’s a bustling city. And any month of the year you are likely to see Christmas decorations, especially crib scenes of course, and to hear carols played.
There’s Star Street, Nativity Street, Holy Family Hospital, Gabriel Hotel, and here we are on Manger Square. This is where worshippers gather every Christmas Eve for the arrival of the day itself.
From Manger Square, we can see the Church of the Nativity. It’s not easy at first glance to find the way in. Due to various invasions and rebuilding projects over the years, some doors were bricked in, and the entrance in use today is very small. Most grown-ups have to stoop down to get in, which of course is very fitting when you consider this is the place where the Lord Jesus was born. It’s called the Door of Humility. Like the shepherds and wise men who first visited the Infant, we have to bow down as we approach.
The Church of the Nativity is built over the grotto, or cave, where Jesus was born. How can we know it took place here? Not long after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, early generations of Christians already met here to worship. Roman Emperors didn’t like the competition – they preferred to be the only ‘sons of gods’ on the block. It was forcibly converted to a pagan shrine, which in fact turned out to make the site all the more certain for later pilgrims.
The grotto itself is under the main altar, and the place is indicated by a fourteen-pointed silver star on the ground:
If you can remember your schooldays’ Latin, you’ll understand the inscription “Hic de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus natus est” – Jesus Christ was born here of the Virgin Mary.
Slightly lower than the star is another alcove which, if we stripped away the marble inlay, is the size and shape of a 1st C feeding trough. Jerome was here when the Church extended this grotto and installed a silver manger – and he was not impressed!
“If I could only see that manger in which the Lord lay! Now, as if to honour the Christ, we have removed the poor one and placed there a silver one; however, for me the one which was removed is more precious.”
St Jerome
Whatever we might think of the decor here, it will hardly be as we imagined that first Christmas. We all have our own ideas of what’s appropriate for holy places, and what’s just kitsch.
But close your eyes for a moment and forget about the silver, the marble, the lamps and chandeliers, and think to yourself. This did not take place in my imagination, it took place here, in this place, in real space and time!
God became a baby, Immanuel, and He was with us!
Once in royal Davids city,
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby,
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ, her little Child.He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall:
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Saviour holy.
Tuesday 16th March I don’t know about you, but I just think Bethlehem warrants a second day! While we’re here, you might like to do some Christmas shopping?
Bethlehem has a big population of Palestinian Christians, and some families have been crafting beautiful nativity scenes (aka crib sets) for centuries, out of local olive wood. You’ll also find lots of tackier offerings, of course, like souvenir Santa hats!
Just to the east of Bethlehem is Beit Sahour, the hills where the shepherds watched their flocks by night. It’s completely different to the city below, so it makes for a nice stop. This is more like we imagined things; more like it would’ve looked 2000 years ago.
It’s good to see the exact spot where things happened, but you know, I think it’s important as well to nourish our imaginations with the sights, sounds and smells of what it may have looked like back then. Thee Shepherds’ Fields are a good spot for this!
Here’s the Bible story:
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Luke 2: 8-15
As it goes, there are fewer places that can compete to sing ‘Glory to God!’
Wednesday 17th March From Christmas in Bethlehem to St Patrick’s in Castlerock & Dunboe – join us here @CastlerockDunboe at 7.30pm for a short Eucharist on this feast day of our patron saint!
Then we resume the tour around the Holy Land exploring the region around Jerusalem on Thursday.
Greek this Week 