A Beautiful Day in Bethlehem

For our trip to Bethlehem we had to do some planning.  Bethlehem is under Palestinian control and is set apart from Jerusalem by the high security wall that winds around between Israeli territory and the West Bank.  That meant that our friend Dina, who is an Israeli citizen, would not be able to travel to Bethlehem with us.  So we engaged in some research and prayer in preparation for our first “solo trip” across Jerusalem and into the city of Christ’s birth.

There is plenty to see in Bethlehem, a hilly and beautiful town with a population of about 38,000.  We were fortunate to have a friendly driver who pointed out such sites as King David’s Wells, the Franciscan Church of St. Catherine, Rachel’s Tomb, and St. Elias Monastery.  The main thing we came to Bethlehem to see, of course, was the Church of the Nativity.

 

The Church of the Nativity is the oldest standing church in the country, and possibly the oldest standing Christian church in the world.  It was begun back in the 300’s by Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, and there is a wooden trapdoor in the entry hall floor through which you can see part of the original mosaic tile floor.  Of course the church has been added to and modified through the centuries by the Byzantines, Crusaders, and others.

 

Both Linda and I had duck to enter through the low and narrow door which opened up into a high and vast hall at least three hundred feet long.  Huge stone columns rise and draw your eyes upward to see massive oak ceiling beams and trusses.  Walls are adorned with all sorts of classical Christian art.  Moving toward the high altar and chancel area of the church we could see that it has been elaborately decorated.  Many kinds of icons, paintings, crosses, hanging oil lamps, and chandeliers contribute to the splendor of the place.

 

At the right-hand transept at the front of the church there is a door that leads through the transept and toward the entrance to the Grotto of the Nativity, the little cave that marks the birthplace of Jesus.  There was a bit of a bottleneck there, as could be expected, but it was not too bad since we were there early in the day.  Behind us was a small tour group from Russia, ahead of us was one from Germany, and ahead of them one from Japan.  Each group consisted of about fifteen or twenty people, so we had to wait in line for a little bit.

But what we saw was more than worth the wait.  As we went through the door into the room, we turned to the left where we were funneled in to descend single file down the narrow stone steps into Mary’s cave.  Again, amazing artwork and lighting were all around.  The little grotto has been lined with marble and there is a silver star inlaid into the floor where the Christ child lay in the manger.  Linda and I were given a few moments to kneel there, put our hands to the floor and say a brief prayer before we needed to move on out of consideration for others.

 

Today’s pilgrimage came to its climax in what may seem like only a few brief moments, but those moments were what we came for.  Because of this journey and those moments, for me Christmas will never be the same.