Countdown to Christmas
8That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9Suddenly, an Angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10but the Angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11The Savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord-has been born in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12And you will recognize him by this sign: you will find a baby wrapped snuggly in strips of cloth, lying in the manger.” (Luke 2:8-12)
O Little Town of Bethlehem. Only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet from the dirt and dust of a manger came the Savior of the World.
Fast forward 2,023ish years, and around the little town of Bethlehem, in the West Bank, the celebration of Christmas has been crushed under the two-month old war between two of the world’s most misguided religious factions. The AP wrote a powerful piece of journalism to remind us Christians that one of the worst wars between Israel and Hamas has destroyed the ideas of celebrating Christmas for the Palestinians who live in that same little town of Bethlehem were Jesus was born.
Christianity is the only way to peace. It is the only religion of the three Abrahamic religions that truly promotes peace and love over everything else. The Tanakh is full of brutality as God used the nation of Israel to drive out the pagan nations in the Promise Land. The Quran has the same commands for Islam to “kill the polytheists” (Surah 9:5), the “non-believers”. Christianity is the truth, the way, and the life; preaching kindness and love and tolerance to ALL people. Are we representing that this Christmas season? The world is in terrible discord as we stumble toward Christmas Day. Make this year a year you step out of your comfort zone to boldly show your faith that all of mankind’s hope in humanity began as a little baby boy born in a lowly manger in the historic city of Bethlehem.
The war against Hamas must end. Israel’s brutal campaign has slaughtered tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians. The death toll in the Gaza Strip has now passed 20,000, most of those being women and children. As Jesus commanded His disciples to do to the Israel town’s that failed to believe He was the Savior, I shake the dust of my sandals at the nation of Israel. Their time as the “Chosen” people ended back when they crucified MY King on a Roman cross. I pray for the protection of innocent Palestinians. I pray for the war to end. I am finding it very hard to pray for the nation of Israel. The hate and discord they are bringing from around the world is their own doing. They are following the same patterns their ancestral line did back in the days of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, marching toward another nation-endingmoment like when the Babylonians carried them into captivity. But if the prophecies of Revelation are right, this will be the last time the nation of Israel will be destroyed.
Sorry to bring such a damper on the normal joyful celebration of Christmas, but with so many in the world suffering, how can we truly experience joy in such despair? Celebrate the hope, the promise from the birth of the Prince of Peace, and boldly declare that without Jesus, there is no salvation, no end to the darkness. The star above Bethlehem the night of Jesus birth was that first reminder of the power of the light that was being born into the world, and the darkness has still not overcome it. Be the light this Christmas.
My third favorite song from Tommee Profitt’s epic live concert is… you guessed it, “O Little Town of Bethlehem”. Rachel Lampa puts a powerful ballad on this timeless classic.
Common Sense Reborn 