December 20,2021 - Micah 5:2; Luke 2:1-7

 As we enter the week leading up to Christmas, we may be involved in a multitude of events. There will be last minute shopping, travel, and other items that will seek to drown out the special celebration of Christ's birth. As you rush in and out of stores, travel to see family or events, perhaps you can enjoy the wonder of Christmas by catching snippets of Christmas songs playing in the background.

It was a far different setting the night that Christ was born. It is recorded that Caesar Augustus had required for all the world to be registered. There was a lot of busyness as people returned to their ancestor's hometown to be numbered. Yet among the commotion and confusion, there was still a silence as the day turned to night and the world grew quiet and darkness settled upon the land.

Bethlehem was an important community historically. As the birthplace of Israel's greatest king, David (Ruth 1:1-2), it remained a small insignificant village (Micah 5:2) and is not mentioned among the towns of Judah in the books of Joshua or Nehemiah. With the events now transpiring in Matthew and Luke, its name recognition exponentially increased.

The song, O Little Town of Bethlehem, captures the quiet, almost shadowy, beginning of the life of Christ. In 1865, Phillip Brooks after he had ridden by horseback from Jerusalem to Bethlehem was struck by the silence and the solitary nature of Bethlehem on that Christmas Eve night. While standing in the fields and looking at the village peacefully residing, he was deeply moved by the scene. Some three years later after returning to Philadelphia, he desired to have a special carol for the children in his church. Remembering the scene, he wrote the text in just one evening. The song has been a favorite ever since, with both children and adults around the world.

During the rush and activity of this Christmas week, take some time to rejoice in the joy of Christ's birth. If the moment is right, take the opportunity to step out into the quiet night and reflect upon that first Christmas night in the little town of Bethlehem! Be reminded of the third verse, "How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is giv'n! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heav'n." May we be thankful for the gift of God's love to us!