“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:4–7, ESV)
In Luke 2:4, shown above, the Bible informs us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He was the firstborn of Mary. The family ended up in Bethlehem because Mary and Joseph traveled there “to be registered” for a tax planned by Quirinius, the governor of the area (Luke 2:1). It had to be difficult to make the trek with Jesus at full term. No doubt Mary was suffering at that crucial moment with her so close to giving birth. Because of his heritage, Joseph was forced to travel, Mary was forced to come with him, and Jesus was forced to be born ….. all in the city of Bethlehem.
Now, let me tell you something you may or may not know about Bethlehem. It lay only five and half miles south of Jerusalem. It was a small town nestled among low hills. As a town goes, it was nothing special. For Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, though, special things had to come to pass. If it hadn’t been for the census, Jesus may have been born in Nazareth, the hometown of Joseph’s family. If it had not been for the traveling required, Jesus may have been born in a home and placed in a nice crib. Instead, Jesus was born in a stable and kept in a manger used to feed animals. You might think that many things got “messed up” to put Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. However, Bethlehem was part of God’s plan. The messiah was to come from there. The Christ child was destined to be from the lineage of David (Luke 2:4). King David’s hometown was Bethlehem. Thus, while everything went wrong with Jesus’ birth according to earthly standards, everything was going perfectly to God’s plan.
Now, let me add one other little-known fact for our meditation today. Do you know what the city name “Bethlehem” means? It is Hebrew for “House of Bread”. Bread was very important in Jesus’ teachings. Jesus taught His disciples; “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35, ESV). At various points in His ministry, Jesus called himself the “bread which comes down from heaven” (John 6:50) and the “living bread” (John 6:51). In a precious moment in the Upper Room, Jesus also broke holy bread in the Last Supper with His disciples. There, as Jesus broke the bread and shared it with the disciples, He declared, “This is my body broken for you.” (Luke 22:19). Taken together, Jesus was not only born in the city called the “House of Bread”, but He also saw His own life and mission as a form of feeding the soul as bread feeds the body. Jesus saw the broken bread used in communion as a reminder of his broken body on the cross. There is an intimate connection between Bread and Jesus throughout His holy life.
Taken altogether, there is an interweaving of God’s plan for Jesus from birth onward. In a twist of history, Jesus ends up born in Bethlehem, the exact place where the Messiah was to come. The name of the very town, Bethlehem, means “House of Bread”. Jesus used bread as a symbol of his spiritual feeding of followers. When Jesus broke bread with the disciples in the upper room during the last hours of his earthly life, Jesus compared the broken bread to His broken body. Do you notice all these many little things coming together around Jesus? As bread was a staple for life in the ancient world, Jesus was a staple for life in God’s Kingdom.
Between Jesus being born in the town named the “House of Bread” and being called the “Bread of Life”, we remember Jesus every time we share communion in Worship. Before we partake of food at a meal, we give thanks. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are reminded of Jesus’s words… “Give us this day our daily bread”. All this points to God’s plan that Jesus would be your “Bread of Life”. In this world, He would feed you wisdom, commune with you, and leave breadcrumbs for you to follow all the way to Eternal Life.
In this season of Christmas, think of Jesus. Every time you hear “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, remember His birth. When you see a nativity scene, remember Jesus’ coming as the “Bread of Life” to feed your soul. When you take communion, hold that small piece of bread or wafer a little longer remembering that Jesus died on a cross to bring you hope for eternal life.
A lot of unusual things happened to bring forth God’s plan that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Does it sound like a “God thing”? Oh, it certainly was! Well, God also brought forth some special things in His plan for your life. This is also a “God thing”. God has plans for You in His Kingdom, to be part of His fold, to be sharing the Bread of Life in Heavenly Spaces. Merry Christmas, indeed, children of Bethlehem!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
As I look upon the decorations of this season, Holy Father, I will not forget to remember Your holy works. You sent prophets to proclaim the coming of the Messiah. You prepared Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth. You sent Your Son to bring the gospel to a hungry, sinful world. You planned it all!
Throughout this day, I will reflect and pray on all the little signs of Your works at Christmas. When I hear a Christmas Carol, I will give thanks for the singing of the angels near the Shepherds. When I see the manger scenes, I will be reminded of the dedication of Mary and Joseph to make a place in their family for the Holy Child. When I look upon the lights, I will remember Jesus as the “Light of the World”. When I see a reference to Bethlehem, I will endeavor to remember Jesus as “The Bread of Life”.
I pray for all those who are living in darkness. They have not seen the light You bring. Their ways have been clouded by worldly lies. They face temptations by evil forces. They are numbed by the commercialization of Christmas themes. The rich have replaced the gospel with presents. The needy think more about getting the next meal than about Jesus as the Bread of Life. The suffering are placated with drugs instead of surrounded with prayers.
Help our world to find Christmas again! Help them to see the meaning of Jesus as the Bread of Life. Help me to be a champion for the gospel. I want to show my love for Jesus, my Lord. Amen.
Now, let me tell you something you may or may not know about Bethlehem. It lay only five and half miles south of Jerusalem. It was a small town nestled among low hills. As a town goes, it was nothing special. For Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, though, special things had to come to pass. If it hadn’t been for the census, Jesus may have been born in Nazareth, the hometown of Joseph’s family. If it had not been for the traveling required, Jesus may have been born in a home and placed in a nice crib. Instead, Jesus was born in a stable and kept in a manger used to feed animals. You might think that many things got “messed up” to put Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. However, Bethlehem was part of God’s plan. The messiah was to come from there. The Christ child was destined to be from the lineage of David (Luke 2:4). King David’s hometown was Bethlehem. Thus, while everything went wrong with Jesus’ birth according to earthly standards, everything was going perfectly to God’s plan.
Now, let me add one other little-known fact for our meditation today. Do you know what the city name “Bethlehem” means? It is Hebrew for “House of Bread”. Bread was very important in Jesus’ teachings. Jesus taught His disciples; “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35, ESV). At various points in His ministry, Jesus called himself the “bread which comes down from heaven” (John 6:50) and the “living bread” (John 6:51). In a precious moment in the Upper Room, Jesus also broke holy bread in the Last Supper with His disciples. There, as Jesus broke the bread and shared it with the disciples, He declared, “This is my body broken for you.” (Luke 22:19). Taken together, Jesus was not only born in the city called the “House of Bread”, but He also saw His own life and mission as a form of feeding the soul as bread feeds the body. Jesus saw the broken bread used in communion as a reminder of his broken body on the cross. There is an intimate connection between Bread and Jesus throughout His holy life.
Taken altogether, there is an interweaving of God’s plan for Jesus from birth onward. In a twist of history, Jesus ends up born in Bethlehem, the exact place where the Messiah was to come. The name of the very town, Bethlehem, means “House of Bread”. Jesus used bread as a symbol of his spiritual feeding of followers. When Jesus broke bread with the disciples in the upper room during the last hours of his earthly life, Jesus compared the broken bread to His broken body. Do you notice all these many little things coming together around Jesus? As bread was a staple for life in the ancient world, Jesus was a staple for life in God’s Kingdom.
Between Jesus being born in the town named the “House of Bread” and being called the “Bread of Life”, we remember Jesus every time we share communion in Worship. Before we partake of food at a meal, we give thanks. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are reminded of Jesus’s words… “Give us this day our daily bread”. All this points to God’s plan that Jesus would be your “Bread of Life”. In this world, He would feed you wisdom, commune with you, and leave breadcrumbs for you to follow all the way to Eternal Life.
In this season of Christmas, think of Jesus. Every time you hear “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, remember His birth. When you see a nativity scene, remember Jesus’ coming as the “Bread of Life” to feed your soul. When you take communion, hold that small piece of bread or wafer a little longer remembering that Jesus died on a cross to bring you hope for eternal life.
A lot of unusual things happened to bring forth God’s plan that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Does it sound like a “God thing”? Oh, it certainly was! Well, God also brought forth some special things in His plan for your life. This is also a “God thing”. God has plans for You in His Kingdom, to be part of His fold, to be sharing the Bread of Life in Heavenly Spaces. Merry Christmas, indeed, children of Bethlehem!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
As I look upon the decorations of this season, Holy Father, I will not forget to remember Your holy works. You sent prophets to proclaim the coming of the Messiah. You prepared Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth. You sent Your Son to bring the gospel to a hungry, sinful world. You planned it all!
Throughout this day, I will reflect and pray on all the little signs of Your works at Christmas. When I hear a Christmas Carol, I will give thanks for the singing of the angels near the Shepherds. When I see the manger scenes, I will be reminded of the dedication of Mary and Joseph to make a place in their family for the Holy Child. When I look upon the lights, I will remember Jesus as the “Light of the World”. When I see a reference to Bethlehem, I will endeavor to remember Jesus as “The Bread of Life”.
I pray for all those who are living in darkness. They have not seen the light You bring. Their ways have been clouded by worldly lies. They face temptations by evil forces. They are numbed by the commercialization of Christmas themes. The rich have replaced the gospel with presents. The needy think more about getting the next meal than about Jesus as the Bread of Life. The suffering are placated with drugs instead of surrounded with prayers.
Help our world to find Christmas again! Help them to see the meaning of Jesus as the Bread of Life. Help me to be a champion for the gospel. I want to show my love for Jesus, my Lord. Amen.