Christian Daily Devotionals

by John Grant
(a former Florida State Senator and presently a practicing attorney.)

'O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by. Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light; The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.'

It was on Christmas Eve back in 1865. Philip Brooks, Rector of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Philadelphia was riding a horse from Jerusalem to Bethlehem in order to participate in the Christmas Eve service.

Writing about the experience he said, “I remember standing in the old church in Bethlehem, close to the spot where Jesus was born, when the whole church was ringing hour after hour with splendid hymns of praise to God, how again and again it seemed as if I could hear voices I knew well, telling each other of the wonderful night of the Savior’s birth.”

Exactly two years later on Christmas Eve in 1867 the tune came to him and it was first sung the next day. The lyrics have been sung for the last 141 years, as we envision a sleepy, almost majestically holy, little town where the darkened streets cried out that the hopes and fears of all the years are met in the town’s newest resident that very night.

The affirmation is that a holy child has descended, one who can cast out our sins and enter into us as we can be born again today. The darkened silence of the little town is pierced by the glad tidings of a Saviors birth and imploring Him to abide with us as our Lord Emmanuel.

This Christmas Eve, Bethlehem will be anything but dark and silent. Today it is an occupied Palestinian enclave. A few weeks ago, I stood atop a small hill in the Sheppard’s fields and saw the construction of a giant concrete wall being built to isolate Bethlehem from the rest of the Holy Land.

This little town is now the focal point of political and religious turmoil. It is the sight of a real tug of war between the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of the Lord. It is a symbol of the conflict between good and evil throughout the world.

May this season be a reminder to us all of who will win. Though the darkness may get darker and the conflicts stronger, God will prevail. The Lord God omnipotent will reign and the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and He shall reign forever and ever and the majesty of that first Christmas in Bethlehem will be eclipsed by the glory of God when he raptures those of us who have given our hearts and lives to Him and He shall reign forever and ever…. King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
That’s the real message of Christmas! (a thought on life from John Grant)

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/12/23/jg_bethlehem/

Tags: comfort, God's love, Holy Spirit, hope, Jesus

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 at 1:01 am and is filed under Thoughts by All, Thoughts by Men, thoughts by John Grant. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.