Outside the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem
Modern-day Bethlehem is not a place where “all is calm, all is bright.” When a group from our church visited a few days after Christmas last year I saw signs of conflict and poverty. But in nearby Jericho a Palestinian told me, “You being here brings hope.” It seemed that the tougher the situation had gotten, the more people had left and stopped visiting. Those that remained felt forgotten. As I consider the similarities between 1st century Bethlehem and the Bethlehem of today, I believe God chose that birthplace in part to communicate to everyone feeling forgotten, “God notices you.”
Today a large wall separates Bethlehem in the Palestinian-governed West Bank from Israeli-controlled territory. Chips carved away by bullets and black marks scorched by fire testify to conflict. Driving through a checkpoint I noticed signs of greater wealth like more elaborate construction and cleaner streets on the Israeli side of the wall. Of all the places and times God could have chosen to come into the world, God chose 1st century Bethlehem, a place as familiar with poverty and conflict back then as it is today.
I believe God chose Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth in order to say to people of all places and times, “I notice you. You are not forgotten.” During Jesus’ adult life when women were often ignored, he promised that a woman’s anointing him with oil would always be remembered (Mark 14:9). Jesus promised that sparrows don’t die without God taking notice (Matthew 10:29) and that “even the hairs of your head are all counted” (Matthew 10:30).
Tomorrow and Sunday we will celebrate the birth of Jesus. Across the globe people will take note of what God has done. I hope that you will worship with us and join in that celebration and that also you will remember that even as millions of people take note of Jesus, God notices you. You are of worth and of value, a beloved child of God.
Merry Christmas!
Rich
Rich Rindfuss
Access Pastor
First United Methodist Church Richardson