Bethlehem Morning

Copyright: 2010 singeronthesand

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah,
though thou be little among the thousands of Judah,

yet out of thee shall be brought forth unto Me

that is to be ruler in Israel;

whose goings forth have been from of old,

from everlasting.

Micah 5:2

Bethlehem in 2011 is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank, approximately 5 miles south of Jerusalem.  With a population of about 30,000, Bethlehem has a Muslim majority, but is the home of a large Palestinian Christian community – one of the oldest such communities in the world.    On the website www.palestinehotels.com, I found a listing for 16 active hotels in Bethlehem, such as the Bethlehem Hotel:  within walking distance of Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity, where each of the 209 single or double rooms have private baths, air-conditioning, central heating, hair dryer, coffee machine, a safety deposit box, telephone, high-speed internet, and cable television.  The Bethlehem Star Hotel offers a coffee shop, a souvenir shop, baby-sitting services, and a rooftop restaurant "with magnificent views".

Two thousand years ago, the little town that Mary and Joseph entered after a 75 mile journey from Nazareth was a vastly different place.  Arriving at the time of a government-mandated census, the couple found no accommodation in the few inns available for travelers: no hot water, no comfortable bed, and most certainly no bathing facilities to refresh after the long journey.  There was only a dank, smelly cave used to house the animals.  There, by candle light and starlight, a baby was born into a world that didn’t even know He was coming – One who would rule: not lands, but hearts.